ABSTRACT
From the time humans emerged on the plains in Africa, wood, in one form or another, has played an important role in everyday life. From the spears that brought down game to the wood fuel used to cook it and the poles that provided night time shelter, wood played a variety of roles in human development (Graham 1973). As human culture developed, wood continued to provide fuel, structural materials, and a variety of other products including food and medicinals. Over the past century, the role of wood has changed in many parts of the globe, but it remains one of our most important renewable structural materials. In comparison with other materials, wood is strong, light, and easily worked with simple tools. In terms of environmental impacts, wood harvest does necessitate cutting of trees; however, replanting and careful management creates an inexhaustible resource. In addition, wood sequesters or captures carbon from the air, thereby reducing the potential impacts of carbon dioxide releases and reducing the pace of global climate change. At the same time, wood is a natural material that is subject to physical and biological degradation over time and it is this susceptibility to degradation that is its weakest attribute.
