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Samuel Johnson (of Boswell fame) said about writing, 'whatever is written without effort is in general read without pleasure' and 'the unexamined word is not worth reading.' However, even the most thoughtfully written text is unlikely to be described as a good read. This book is not an exhaustive review. Rather it is an uneven selection of examples whose interplay across disciplines hopefully illuminates what drives the practice of forest production, wood processing and consumer preferences. The choice of material is arbitrary reflecting personal biases. It is a summary of material presented to students at the NZ School of Forestry at the University of Canterbury. This book takes liberties with other peoples' ideas, weaving them into fresh themes that are at best a work in progress. The philosopher Francis Bacon argued that 'science is a debate in progress not a body of knowledge' and also 'truth emerges more readily from error than confusion'. We have taken the position that it is preferable to venture a reasoned opinion and be proved wrong than to waffle; so don't swallow every sentence - 'doubt everything'. The reader's task is to unravel the conceits of generalizing and the risks of particularizing.
List of contents
The structure of wood: form and function.- Basic wood chemistry and cell wall ultrastructure.- Water in wood.- Dimensional instability in timber.- Wood quality: in context.- Wood quality: multifaceted opportunities.- Sawmilling.- Drying of timber.- Wood preservation.- Grading timber and glued structural members.- Wood-based composites: plywood and veneer-based products.- Wood-based panels: particleboard, fibreboards and oriented strand board.- Pulp and paper manufacture.- The energy sector: a hidden goliath.
About the author
Summary
This thoroughly revised book is primarily a general text covering the whole sweep of the forest industries. The over-riding emphasis is on a clear, simple interpretation of the underlying science, demonstrating how such principles apply to processing operations. The book has no competitors with regard to its philosophical approach to the subject, and it is the only book covering the subject in a way comprehensible for the generalist.
The book considers the broad question "what is wood?" by looking at the biology, chemistry and physics of wood. Wood quality is examined, and explanations are offered on how and why wood quality varies and the implications for processing. Finally, various "industrial processes" are reviewed and interpreted. All chapters are written by specialists who incorporate their own local perspectives, while retaining an international flavor. This 2nd edition is a total revision. A few chapters remain relatively unchanged, but many have been totally rewritten.
Report
Aus den Rezensionen zur 2. Auflage:
"... Das Buch ... gibt einen sehr interessanten Überblick zu Struktur, Eigenschaften und Verwendung von Holz. Es ist dem Autor gelungen, in sehr kompakter Form ein gut lesbares Werk vorzulegen ... Es ist ... in sehr anschaulicher Form umfassend zusammengestellt. ... Insbesondere im Bereich der Grundlagen gelang es, das aktuelle Wissen ... sehr gut und dicht zusammenzustellen. ... zahlreiche neue Arbeiten ... ergänzen ... hervorragend die meist älteren Untersuchungen ... Die anwendungsorientierten Kapitel ... sind eher als erster Überblick für den Einsteiger oder den Studierenden der forstlichen Fachrichtungen ... sehr gut geeignet."
(Peter Niemz, in: Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Forstwesen, 2007, Vol. 158, Issue 3-4, S. 80)
