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1May/June 2012 World of Wood

World of WoodJOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL WOOD COLLECTORS SOCIETY

Volume 65, Number 3 May/June 2012

2012 the year of collecting

2 World of Wood May/June 2012

The World of Wood is published bimonthly by the International Wood Collectors Society (IWCS). IWCS is devoted to distributing information on collecting wood, correctly identifying and naming wood specimens, and using wood in creative crafts. Contributions for publication may be educational, scientific, technical or of general interest to members and relevant to the purposes of the Society. Papers may be refereed by an Editorial Board of technically trained members. The phrases ‘World of Wood’, ‘ IWCS Wood Data Sheet’ and all materials contained herein are © Copyright protected by the International Wood Collectors Society. Address requests to reprint material to the Editor.The World of Wood is published as a benefit to members of the IWCS, a non-profit organization of botanists, dendrologists, and other scientists, technologists, wood collectors, hobbyists and crafts people for mutual assistance and reciprocation. Membership rates for individuals or couples worldwide are: US$35 annually, US$90 for 3 years, US$125 for 5 years and US$500 for life membership. Student Membership is US$15 per year. Corporate Membership US$125 annually, US$325 for 3 years, US$450 for 5 years. Applications are available from the Secretary-Treasurer or from the IWCS website. Dues and address changes also should be directed to the Secretary-Treasurer. We encourage your membership in our unique international organization.

Contents

The President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A new future for wood identification . . . 4... sorting through the off-cuts . . . . . . . . . . . 6Botanists say Acacia stays in Australia . . . . 7African Trees and Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8IWCS South African Conference . . . . . . . . . 10ASDA Forest Products Laboratory Centennial Celebration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Vessel/pore types for wood identification . 14 Dealing with rising expenditure in producing specimens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17A Favorite Wood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Honours Bestowed upon Nelis Mourik . . . 20Dyewoods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Shrubwoods of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Before chain saws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24The Tree of Gernika . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Before chain saws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Member’s Listings and Requests . . . . . . . . 27Australian Woods No 33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Wood Specimen Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Wood Meets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Book Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

World of Wood

Editor Morris Lake 22 Julia St, Highgate Hill, Q 4101 AUSTRALIA Phone: From overseas: 061 07 3844 1246 Within Australia: (07) 3844 1246 E-mail: [email protected] Associate Editors Ken Bassett — Washington, USA. Richard Crow — Cornwall, England. Alan Curtis — Oregon, USA. Ron DeWitt — New York, USA. David Greve — Queensland, Australia. Fred Holder — Washington, USA. Willem Hurkmans — Overijssel, Netherlands. Ernie Ives — Suffolk, England. Barry and Danielle James — South Africa. David Mouat — California, USA. Nelis Mourik— South Holland, Netherlands. Susan Stamm — Wisconsin, USA.

Officers and TrusteesPresident: Garry Roux, Illinois, USA. Vice President: Melvin Talley, Indiana, USA. President-elect: Gary Gronborg, Missouri, USA. Secretary-Treasurer: Bill & Myrtle Cockrell, Indiana, USA. Publications Chairman: Chuck Holder, Alberta, Canada. Endowment Fund Chairman: Allen Nemetz, Connecticut, USA. Archivist: Dennis Wilson, Michigan, USA Past President: Art Lee, Maryland, USA.

Regional Trustees AustralAsia (2010-2013): Brian Davis, Queensland, Australia. Canada (2009-2012): Robert Ritchie, Ontario, Canada. EuroAfrica (2010-2013): Willem Hurkmans, Overijssel, Netherlands. UK (2010-2012): Bob Goddard, United Kingdom. USA Central (2009-2012): Stan King, Missouri, USA. USA Great Lakes (2011-2014): John Burris, Indiana, USA. USA NE (2009-2012): Ron DeWitt, New York, USA. USA NW (2010-2013): Alan Curtis, Oregon, USA. USA SE (2010-2013): Tom Kinney, Florida, USA. USA SW (2011-2014): Dave Mouat, California, USA.

Committee Chairs and Service Providers All-Mail Auction: Art Brennan, Pennsylvania, USA. Craft Sales: Allan Schwindt, Washington, USA. Membership Committee: Melvin Talley, Indiana, USA. New-member Correspondent: Bill Cockrell, Indiana, USA. Nominations Committee: Art Lee, Maryland, USA. Corporate Membership: Daryle Layton, Idaho, USA. Student Membership: Les Campbell, Utah, USA. Membership Directory: Susan Stamm, Wisconsin, USA. Website Committee: Art Lee, Maryland, USA. Webmaster: Erlene Tarleton, California, USA. Wood Import Permits: Alan Curtis, Oregon, USA. Wood Specimen Kits: Gary Green, Indiana, USA.

Vol. 65, No. 3 ISSN 1068-7300 May/June 2012The International Wood Collectors Society, founded in 1947, is a non-profit society advancing information on wood.

Worldwide web site: http://www.woodcollectors.org

Cover photographs Background: Curly grain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Centre: End grain macrophotographs taken by Jean-Claude Cerre. See pages 4 and 5.


A note for contributorsPlease submit articles as you complete them.

I can then place them into future editions so each edition will present a balance of topics. If possible I will advise when they will appear.

Last minute changes before: 24 June for the July/August 2012

An important noticeDue to changes caused by the provision of fibre cable to our area we

have a new E-mail address. Please submit copy for inclusion in future issues to: [email protected]

The President’s Message

from Garry Roux

Greetings Everyone!

Wow, it is hard to believe this is my last President’s message. This is the last chance for me to get on my soapbox and try to express what this organiza-tion does. Where else can you find out what is happening in the World of Wood for $35.00 a year? That alone is worth your dues. And, if you attend only one meeting, you can save 10 times that amount on wood and crafts that are available for sale: wood that you cannot find at any store and crafts or gifts or your personal collection. These unique items are only available because of the generosity of the members of this organization. In addition the camaraderie and friendships are priceless.Over the last four years I have talked a lot about involvement. I did that because IWCS needs your help. In the last message, I told you there is an old story about someone, anybody and nobody and I would look it up. Well my mind is not what it was when I heard this thirty

years ago. The story is about everybody, somebody, any-body and nobody. I missed the title a little bit, but not by much, but the story is the same as it was back then and still so true. Here it is:This is a little story about four people named Every-body, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Every-body wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.Please read that a couple of times. There are offices that need filled in this organization, is Everybody go-ing to do them?Soon you will have the opportunity to attend the 2012 Annual meeting,

“65th anniversary”. Please consider what you can do to help keep our organisation vital and strong. We would love to see you in Springfield. I will get off of my soapbox now for the last time.In closing this message I want to say “Thank you”. It has been a lot of fun. Shelly and I met a lot of members and guests. We made a lot of new friends and we lost a few very good friends, but they will never be forgotten by us. We received some very special gifts that we will always cherish. I want to thank everyone who stepped up and helped, you guys and gals are price-less. To my board and mentors could not have done it without you. My biggest “THANK YOU” goes to Shelly and Brianna for all their time, support, understanding and patience. Good luck to the new officers. See you in Springfield; make it a New Beginning For You Or Someone Else.


When Robin and I reluctantly left Nevers, France, after our very recent stay with Jean-Claude Cerre, we left with even greater admiration for what this very talented man has achieved. We also left with the fresh realisation of the enormous potential yet to flow from the work Jean-Claude is doing—and that’s no exaggeration. Jean-Claude‘s work has the potential to advance and revolutionise the process of wood identification on a world-wide basis—and I will endeavour to bring you up to date with this technology in this article—so fasten your seatbelts, because you are in for an exciting story.For those not aware of what Jean-Claude has been doing over the last few years, it could be a good idea to look back to the September/October, 2009, January/February, and the March/ April, 2010 issues of the World of Wood. In so doing you will catch up with what is now known as the Cerre System for Macrophotography of Wood. This system is now being used, or considered by several Wood Laboratories in Europe—and the number is set to grow.Since his initial work, Jean-Claude has made several important upgrades to his system, and has gained more experience with the technique. But this is not the most important aspect, despite the fact that he can now produce very higher quality macrophotographs at larger magnifications. With his recent upgrade he has started again with photographing species and now has around 1500 species photographs in his system.I think at this point, in order to better understand the significance of what Jean-Claude is doing, we need to seek some answers to a few very important questions.

Why is the Cerre System of Macrophotography of wood so important?There are a number of reasons. • Firstly it is a quicker and more reliable method of obtaining a standard macrophotograph.• Secondly, it is possible to obtain a high quality digital, macro image of any wood specimen, whether the wood be hard, soft, greasy, or whatever its texture.• Thirdly, it provides an authentic colour image portraying all of the features of the wood needed for identification. But most importantly it presents the opportunity to establish a data base which will make possible the identification of all species of wood on this planet—something not possible today—anywhere.

What therefore are the prospects for identification in the future?It is proposed that by using wood macrophotography—particularly end grain macrophotography—and using computer pattern recognition it will be possible to identify any given wood specimen. But firstly, Why is this not possible with the use of botanic keys, as used up until now?The answer to that is firstly that we do not have sufficient keys to separate all the species. Using the keys we have it may be possible to identify most of the ‘commercial woods’ used in the world today. But once you go outside the commercial species, you simply run

out of the ability to visually detect differences. Admittedly, given a lifetime of devoting little else to one’s time, there are individuals in this world who can identify large numbers of species—but mostly, if you ask them how they know that its such-and-such a wood, they really can’t tell you. It just is ! The pattern recognition learned by their brain simply identifies the species.I estimate there are somewhere between 17-20,000 wood producing species, down to craft sizes in the world. These are made up roughly as follows: Australia 5,300, Sth America 3,500, Africa 3,000, SE Asia 3,000, USA 670, Europe 70, UK 50 and China 1,000—the remaining islands etc. 3,000.

How many species can we identify scientifically?The current science of identifying Australian species of wood stands at 380 species, which represents around 7% of all species in Australia. The northern hemisphere countries fare a bit better, but mostly because of their smaller number of species. Sth America and SE Asia, fare about the same as Australia. And China—who knows.From the point of view of an organisation such as the IWCS, where we are gathering all and sundry species we really are at a loss without having identified the species botanically before obtaining a wood specimen—there is much to be done.

A new future for wood identification

by Morris Lake #7634 L

Jean-Claude Cerre and the author at the Centre

of Excellence in Wood Identification in Nevers,

France.


What is computer pattern recognition?Computer pattern recognition is a process which uses a ‘search engine’ to recognise similar data stored on a computer. These search engines are the basis for most computer search systems that we simply take for granted today. When we look for something on Google we use a search engine that looks for and identifies words and phrases. When we pass through a border check and look into a camera, it recognises our eye pattern, or face image and lets us through. Some of these systems are very simply, while others can be very complex.There are many systems in use today which are more sophisticated and can pick out key objects and construct digital representations. These are then matched to objects in another image, enabling identification to take place.One company in California called Evolution Robotics have developed systems that extract key features from an object, thus creating a ‘signature’ for it which can then be matched to a data base and the reference image. They can match the ‘signature’ even

if viewed from a different angle or partly obscured. This system takes far less computing power—so little in fact that a cellphone can be used to extract a match. Naturally enough, however, the ability of such a search engine to recognise different ‘signatures’ depends on the size of the data base. So this is where the significance of Jean-Claude’s work become so important to the success of the system.

So, how does this add up as a future system for wood identification.• Firstly, set up a data base containing as many of the world’s wood species as possible. It may contain as many variations of individual species as possible at varying magnifications. • The data base may be located in one place, or may be part of a number of linked sites throughout the world forming a network—whatever is found to be the most practical and accessible.• Individuals requiring to identify a specimen, can prepare an end grain of any unknown wood, and using a cellphone, photograph that end grain and send it downline to the search site.• The search site will process the image, establish a signature, and within seconds provide a match. If there is no match then it may provide an alternative, or at least a genus identification.Now this may not be exactly as it will pan out, but all the elements for such a system of identification are there. It really is up to us to make it happen.


...sorting through the off-cuts by Morris Lake #7534L

Robin and I have just returned from a 5 week trip to Europe, not all of which had to do with wood. In fact during the first 10 days we performed with our Brisbane community choir, Chordiality, at the Australian Choral Festival in Southwark Cathedral, London, then at Caerphilly, Wales and Great Dunmow, Essex. It was a real blast and very enjoyable. But we soon headed across the Channel for three very enjoyable stays with Jean-Claude Cerre in France, Jose-Miguel and Meron Elosegui, and Manuel Soler in two different parts of Spain. We really experienced magnificent hospitality. Thank you all. I really want to make an important comment here. We have travelled overseas fairly frequently in the past, but for this trip we accepted the invitations of fellow IWCS members to stay with them in their respective countries. The difference to our tour was striking, because we visited many more interesting places that were relevant to our interests on this trip, and having someone who is culturally atuned to what you see, makes a huge difference overall. In the IWCS Membership Directory many members list themselves as being prepared to host other members—and I’m sure there are many more who would be willing to do the same, but have not indicated that. If you are travelling, I encourage you to consider looking up members who are in that area, and make contact. Yes, there were some language difficulties, but, with a little patience, we were usually able to understand each other—we are an international organisation and inter-nation contacts can only make us stronger. Give it a try.So having been away when I should have been getting this copy of the World of Wood to the printer, I apologise for this issue being a

little late in arriving—just how late will depend on how much time the printer can make up for me. Thanks Terry.The other thing is that you may find some differences in layout in this issue. This is not intentional, it’s because my computer crashed before we went away, and with the new computer and updated systems, I have not been able to use Page Maker, the progressively updated publishing program that I have used since the early 1990, when desktop publishing was first invented. I have had to install InDesign to replace it. Unfortunately, this has necessitated a steep learning curve in the last week or so. I apologise for the differences and hope they will not put you off reading the magazine. I guess the computer design people have to make money somehow, so they simply make it impossible to stay in the one place for very long before you have to spend megabucks to keep doing what you want to—that’s progress I guess.There is, however, one serious subject that I want to raise and that is the position of Editor for the World of Wood. I have spoken to Chuck Holder, Publications Chairman, and it has now been accepted that I am seeking a replacement to edit and produce the World of Wood, with a possible transition date some time around the new year.It is with reluctance that I have chosen this path because writing and producing material for educational and professional interest is in my blood. This doesn’t mean I am about to stop contributing. Far from it. I will continue contributing material for publication—that also is what keeps the blood flowing through my veins. In fact I have been doing some rough calculations in the last week, and as close as I can estimate, in the past two decades, during my time as a Technical Publications Officer for a state-wide agribusiness service, and since my retirement in

1998, I have produced and published around 450 books, magazines and other publications, totalling around half a million copies distributed to readers. Roughly a third of these I have either authored of co-authored—so I am not one for sitting around and waiting for the train to arrive—I have usually been up there somewhere in the driver’s cabin—and loved the ride enormously. But, there comes a time when the baton needs to be handed over. In my case I need to take a back seat away from the regular routine of production, which is what is involved in the position of Editor. I have an extensive knowledge of the role of the written word in communication and of the publishing process and will be available for a suitable transition period to help whoever wants to fill the position, so that the World of Wood can continue to be a valuable tool for informing and educating members. I believe the World of Wood has an assured future, as does IWCS, and there is some pretty exciting stuff happening at the moment within the ranks of IWCS. And there is a constant need to influence new members to join.During our visit to Spain, we visited the Institute of Wood Technology in San Sabastian, Spain and signed up the instution to membership. This is a very viable woodwork training institute and is developing a wood identification section and a wood collection. They are also interested in helping in the producion of a Spanish translation of the World of Wood, which could possibly appear on the IWCS website some time in the future. This will encourage Spanish-speaking membership throught the world. There is much to do, and so much potential for this organisation to continue to flourish. Since its founding day, IWCS has been up-front in the wood identification world, so if you are interested in the Editor’s position, contact myself or Chuck.Happy collecting.


The following article is composed from an ABC interview with Kevin Thiele, Curator, Western Australian Herbarium, conducted during the International Botanical Congress meeting in Melbourne where decisions were made regarding the genus Acacia. The outcome in Melbourne decided that this genus name now resides with the Australian Acacias, while those in Africa and America will need to be given new names.

The history behind the decisionFor many decades there has been a bitter international dispute over the genus Acacia, which, up until now, contained 1,500 species, and was one of the largest genera of flowering plants in the world. However, individuals are found throughout much of the warmer parts of the world, in Australia, India, Africa and the neo-tropics, America, and Central America, and since the 1980s, botanical researchers have realised that this huge genus is actually five separate groups of plants which aren’t all that closely related. So what was once a single genus needed to be split into five. Normally the rules by which plants are named states that the group that includes the type species retains the name Acacia and every other group needs a new name.The type species in this case is Acacia nilotica, which occurs in Africa and throughout India. This group however is a fairly small one, containing about 150 species. Australia however, is the hotspot for the Acacia, with over 1,000 of the 1,500 species in the old genus. The Australian group however, does not include the type because of course they were discovered after Acacia was named in the mid-18th century. So under the strict application of the rules, all of those species needed to be renamed, and the name that was available in Australia was a genus called Racosperma. This meant that

by Eugene Dimitriadis #4686 HLBotanists say Acacia stays in Australia

the national emblem for Australian, the one giving its colours to the Olympic green and gold, would become Racosperma pycnanthum, the golden wattle.Australian botanists eight years ago made a special application under the rules to move the type species of Acacia to an Australian species, Acacia penninervis. That would mean that the Australians could retain the name Acacia but the Africans would then need to change. And not surprisingly that has been a controversial move. Acacia is iconic in both Australia and Africa. Most of Australia is dominated by Acacia, so it is an important genus, it’s iconic for our national flower, etc.,etc.. But Acacia appears widely in African culture as well, where the flat-topped thorn trees in the Serengeti that are browsed by giraffes, many of those are Acacias. So African botanists were very upset by this proposal, and there has been a continuing contest since that proposal.The last congress was six years ago in Vienna, and that meeting ratified a decision to move the type to Australia. However, there were some issues with the vote that occurred in Vienna which have been challenged by botanists

since then. There has therefore been considerable discussion about whether the process that happened in Vienna was properly conducted. The Melbourne meeting endorsed the Vienna decision. So the type of Acacia is now Australian, Australia uses the name, and the African and American Acacias need another name. One which is in existence is Vachelia, but there are some other possible names which could be more acceptable to general users in Africa, such as Afroacacia or Acanthacacia, which means spiny acacia.In any decision like this, many will be disappointed, but principally we are pleased that we have an internationally agreed way of naming plants, and that there was strong international endorsement of the process that we’ve been through, and that’s very important. It was a clear vote, and importantly it was a vote by the world’s assembled botanists. The meeting was not stacked by the Australians, despite it being in Melbourne.

Call for an Editor - World of Wood The Editor of World of Wood, Morris Lake, will retire when a suitable replacement can be located. IWCS is therefore

now calling for applications or expressions of interest from anyone interested in the part time, paying position of Editor for the IWCS bimonthly journal, World of Wood. Applicants must be a member of IWCS or willing to join IWCS and be prepared to attend annual meetings of IWCS when and if

possible. Applicants should have experience in editing and

publishing and a copy of the IWCS Publications Working Manual can be supplied by contacting the current Editor

Morris Lake Please forward inquiries or expressions of interest to Chuck

Holder, Chair, IWCS Publications Committee. [email protected]


African trees and wood by Stephanie Dyer #9381

Guibourtia coleosperma (Benth.) J. Léonard African rosewoodThis attractive wood has become popular in South Africa in recent years because of a steady supply into the country. The name “African rosewood” is misleading as the species is not related to the true rosewoods (Dalbergia species).Synonyms: Copaiba coleosperma (Benth.) Kuntze; Copaifera coleosperma Benth.Other names: Large copalwood, Rhodesian copalwood, copalwood, Rhodesian mahogany, bastard mopane, Suidwes-mopanie, Rooisering, Kopalhout, large false mopane, groot valsmopanie, bastermopanie (South Africa); muxibe, mussive, musibi (Angola); machibi, muchibi, mchibi, ushibi, chacate, chacate encarnado (Mozambique); umtshibi, large false mopane (Zimbabwe);Family: Leguminosae

The treeThis medium-sized to large evergreen bushveld tree reaches a height of 6 - 20m. It has a large, rounded and drooping crown and a high branching straight trunk that produces sound logs from which large clear boards can be obtained. The bark of large, old trees is dark blackish-brown, rough and flaky. Young branches are conspicuously red. Small, creamy-white, star-shaped fragrant flowers, about 10 mm in diameter, are produced in terminal heads or panicles in summer (November to March). A tree in full flower is very showy. Dark brown woody, almost circular pods, 2 to 3 cm long, are produced after flowering. These split down the middle once mature (May to October) to reveal a single reddish-brown seed, up to 10 mm in diameter, covered by a conspicuous scarlet aril suspended from a slender stalk. Leaves are alternate, compound with one set of

leaflets (3 to10 X 2 to 4 cm) borne on short stalks (4 to 7 mm long) and are sickle-shaped, dark green and hairless. Various parts of the tree are used for food or medicinal purposes. The foliage is eaten by elephants and the bright red seed coat attracts starlings and parrots which help to distribute the seed. Seeds are eaten raw or roasted and pounded. This is an important staple food of the Kung Bushmen who live in isolated areas of Botswana Angola and Namibia. The aril (seed coat) is oily and provides food in times of famine. In Botswana and Zambia the aril and red skin of the fruit are removed with warm water and eaten or made into a nourishing drink. The oil is also used to stain furniture. The bark can be used for tanning or dyeing and the oily red aril of the seed contains a dye that has been used to stain furniture. The root and bark have several medicinal uses.

DistributionAfrican rosewood grows in dry open woodland and dry forest areas of Angola, northern Namibia, and northern Botswana, the south-western regions of Zimbabwe and Southern, Western and North-Western Provinces of Zambia. It grows almost exclusively on deep Kalahari sand. The species is not native to South Africa.

Wood propertiesLogs are generally sound and large, clear boards can be obtained during processing. The sapwood is pale cream to straw-coloured, very distinct from the heartwood which is pink to red with purplish striping. The grain is straight and sometimes interlocked. The lustrous wood has a fine to moderately fine texture. Freshly cut wood has a fragrant odour.The wood dries fairly well if dried slowly, with little tendency to warp. Surface checking develops in some boards. The timber is stable and exhibits a low shrinkage (radial – 2% and tangential – 3.24%) from green to an oven-dry condition. From green to an air-dry condition the shrinkage is 0.94% (radial) and 1.7% (tangential).Testing of the mechanical properties of the timber was conducted at the South African Forestry Research Institute (Otto & Van Vuuren, 1977). The mechanical properties of the species are listed in Table 1.The wood is durable and extremely resistant to preservative treatment.

Leaves, flower and fruit.


Table 1: Mechanical properties of Guibourtia coleosperma

Density (air dry) kg/m3 670 (600 – 800)Modulus of rupture (MOR) MPa 90Modulus of elasticity (MOE) MPa 9709Compression parallel to grain (Maximum crushing strength) MPa 50.9Hardness load to imbed 11.278 mm sphere to middiameter) N Side grain 8775 End grain 10795Shear parallel to grain (Maximum shearing strength) MPa 16.4Impact bending (Toughness) Joules/Nm 25.9

UsesAfrican rosewood is a good general purpose timber species that is suitable for anything from small, decorative pieces to large furniture and architectural woodwork. Recommended uses are: furniture and cabinet work, interior trimming, joinery, industrial flooring, sleepers, decorative veneer, mining and turnery.Identifying the woodThe anatomical structure can be studied macroscopically in a clean cut of the cross section using a very sharp knife. When studying the cross- or transverse plane with the aid of a 10X magnifying tool,

Woodworking propertiesThe wood saws cleanly despite its hardness but adequate power needed. Tungsten-tipped saw teeth are recommended. It works easily with hand or power tools. It planes easily to a highly lustrous, smooth finish. A cutting angle of 30º is recommended. Pre-boring is essential in nailing to avoid splitting due to the hardness of the timber. It has good gluing properties and it can be polished and varnished successfully. The wood is suitable for turning and carving and is not oily.

vessels, rays and parenchyma tissue are visible as lighter coloured objects in the darker coloured background which consists of fibre tissue. Vessels are visible as single- or radially grouped pores. Some pores may seem blocked – these contain gum. Rays are visible as fine lines that run from the centre of the log to the bark. Here, orientation of the sample is important to be able to identify the different features. Parenchyma tissue is visible as terminal bands (demarcating growth rings) and also as wing-like extensions (aliform arrangement) around the pores.


Package for the Hebron Haven Hotel • Conference Package which includes full attendance plus the Gala Dinner, but does not include accommodation. Rand 980, or US$ 127.27 each• Conference Package with single accommodation Rand 4,158, or US$540 each• Conference Package with shared accommodation (two per room/twin beds) Rand 3,058 , or US$ 397.14 each• Conference Package with shared accommodation (three/room,or double bedroom) Rand 2,508, or US$ 325.71 eachThis fee includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the use of the complex which has many facilities. The centre is air conditioned, and or, heated.The current exchange rates are: 1 Euro = 10.2 Rand, 1 US$ = 7.7 Rand, and 1 A$ = 8 Rand.A 25% deposit is required if you book before 45 days of your expected departure. i.e., before 9 April, and the balance paid on the 9 April. If you book after the 9 April, you are required to pay the full amount at the time of booking.For cancellations, you will be refunded 20% if you cancel 30days before, i.e., before the 18 April. Payment are to be made through African Insights, and should be made by bank transfer. Please note that all bank transfer fees are for the client’s/agent’s account.

IWCS South African ConferenceHowick, South Africa

6 -12 May 2013ProgramMonday 6 May • Arrival and registration • Dinner

Tuesday 7 May Full day of conference and demonstrations including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. Wednesday 8 May Full day of conference and demonstrations including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. • Gala Dinner

Thursday 9 May • Morning excursion to Benvie Arboretum, site of some of South Africa’s Champion Trees. • Afternoon excursion to Mistbelt forest and Dargle Conservancy.

Friday 10 May Full day excursion to Baynesfield Estate and Tala Game Reserve.·Saturday 11 May: Open d for the Midlands Wood Festival where local craftsmen display their wares.

Sunday 12 May • Depart.

Pre and Post Conference Guided ToursThese tours are organised by African Insight, which is a local tour operator Andrew Anderson, who is an ex Natal Parks Board colleague and friend of Barry James, and used to be the oficer in charge of Wilderness Trails in Umfolozi Game Reserve in the early 1990’s. Africal Insight has a very strong emphasis on ethical and responsible tourism and has much experience in dealing with groups. The organisers believe that they have the right person to help with the pre and post meeting tours.

Their website can be viewed at www.africalinsights.co.za.The tours recommended are as follows:• 9 -day Cape Town and Garden Route Tour.• 8-day Johannesburg - Mapungubwe - Durban Tour.• 7-day Lesotho and Drakensberg Tour.• 7-day Zululand Tour.• 7-day Johannesgurg - Kruger National Park- Johannesgurg Tour.

Details are also posted on the IWCS website.


IWCS South African ConferencePre and Post Conference tour operator is Andrew Anderson, owner of African Insight (www.africaninsight.co.za/) ex Na-tal Parks officer in charge of Wilderness Trails in Umfolozi Game Reserve. African Insight has a very strong emphasis on ethical and responsible tourism and has much experience in dealing with groups. Contact Andrew or his assistant Kirsty Horn, for more information.

7-DAY JOHANNESBURG – KRUGER NATIONAL PARK – JO’BURG TOUR

7-DAY LESOTHO & DRAKENSBERG TOUR

7-DAY ZULULAND TOUR

8-DAY JOHANNESBURG – MAPUNGUBWE – DURBAN TOUR

9-DAY CAPE TOWN & GARDEN ROUTE TOUR


The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Prod-ucts Laboratory (FPL) celebrated 100 years of service in June 2010. Since 1910, the centre in Madison, WI, has promoted healthy forests and sustainable forest management while serving as an interdisciplin-ary research facility to solve prob-lems for a diverse wood products industry FPL was the first institu-tion in the world to conduct general research on wood and its utiliza-tion. Friday, June 4, 2010, marked a century since FPL first opened its doors. On June 23, 2010 the new state-of-the-art research facility was dedicated and all FPL employees, retired FPL staff, and their families gathered in the new Centennial Research Facility (CRF), including former USDA Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and several retired FPL Directors and their families. The special ceremony was hosted by FPL Director, Dr. Christopher Risbrudt. Over 450 visitors, rep-resenting 28 countries attended. USDA Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell and representatives from leading industry technical associa-tions and universities were present. The 87,000 square foot center cost-ing $38 million was designed as a multiple-use laboratory and will provide maximum collaboration between scientists and outside part-ners. To demonstrate the capabili-ties of the research facility a large timber bridge was tested to failure at the opening. The center was built to Silver Certification standards set by the Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design (LEED) rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. This will im-prove performance across the most important efficiency metrics: energy savings, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources including

sensitivity to their impacts. The CRF houses three dynamic research work units: Engineered Composites Sciences; Durability and Wood Protection; and the Engineer-ing Mechanics and Remote Sens-ing Laboratory. Scientists will be able to perform full-scale testing of wood-framed buildings, formulate new environmentally friendly wood preservatives, develop composite products in a manufacturing-friendly space, and test the durability of wood products with a one-of-a-kind weath-ering chamber.

Engineered Composites UnitComposites research focuses on de-veloping highly engineered building products from low-value materials for production of wood- or natural-fiber based composites as well as wood-plastic composites. The Engi-neered Composites Unit investigates the use of naturally renewable wood-based materials. This will promote:• resource sustainability and recy-cling,• improved forest health by manu-facturing high-value products from low-value resources,• improved value, service life, and utility to consumers, and• improved economic health by pro-moting jobs in forest-dependent rural communities.

Durability and Wood Protection UnitThis unit focuses on extending the service life of residential and nonresidential build-ings through proper design and operation; developing wood treatments to improve durability of wood products without adversely affecting the environment; and formulating new targeted inhibitors to pro-tect wood products in service and prevent economic and resource loss from biodete-rioration. One of the best ways to extend the avail-able timber supply is by improving the durability of wood in use. Moisture man-agement research is a critical component for the development of durable, energy-efficient housing. The Chamber for Analytic Research on Wall Assemblies Exposed to Simulated Weather (CARWASh), which is part of the CRF, is a one-of-a-kind, custom-designed moisture testing chamber. It permits realistic weather simulation in a controlled laboratory setting, including simulations of wind-driven rain impinging on full-scale wall assemblies. The 16 spray nozzles can simulate rainfall from 0.25 to 6 inches per hour and adjustable nozzles can create wind from 2 to 25 mph (gusts up to 55 mph for up to 5 seconds can be simulat-ed by pressurization). Infrared heat lamps are used to simulate the sun.Use of the CARWASh allows researchers to:• program individual tests with weather data taken from any global location and set tests to run for weeks or months at a time,• study wind-driven rain intrusion in walls and drying rates after wetting events, • test window installations, flashing and cladding products, drainage/drying details,

USDA Forest Products Laboratory Centennial Celebration

by Bob Ross #9420.


and water-resistive barrier products,• study independent air temperature and humidity control on each side of a test wall with static or dynamic air pressure differences across the wall assembly,• provide experimental data for validation of heat, air, and moisture transfer models, and• study the effects of air infiltration and exfiltration on moisture levels in walls.

Engineering Mechanics and Remote Sensing Laboratory (EMRSL)In this laboratory, physical and me-chanical tests are conducted on a wide range of materials, building systems, and structures—from houses to trans-portation structures. Results inform the development of building codes and structural design. Testing involves samples ranging from toothpick-sized to full-sized structural beams (50 feet long) made of solid wood or combinations of wood fibers, plastics, adhesives, and metal. Static tests can simulate snow loads or dead loads, while dynamic tests simulate seismic, fatigue, and wind loads.The EMRSL uses desktop-sized test-ing machines, rated from 1 to 10,000 pounds, and standalone machines, rat-ed from 60,000 to 130,000 pounds. A strong floor and wall system provides researchers the ability to apply loads from multiple directions for full-scale testing of three-dimensional structures such as wood-framed building mock-ups up to 20 feet tall.

New PublicationsTwo special documents were prepared and released during the Centennial Celebration: a special centennial edition of the Wood Handbook—Wood as an Engineering Material and Forest Products Laboratory 1910-2010, Celebrat-ing a Century of Accomplishments. Since it was first published in 1935, the Wood Handbook has served as a refer-ence document for a wide variety of users—from the general public to ar-chitects and design engineers who use wood in highly engineered structures. This book is the singular, most widely

used document produced by FPL and one of the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture’s most widely used publications. Throughout its revisions, the Wood Handbook--Wood as an Engineering Material has continued to serve as the primary reference tool for the general public, trade associations, industry personnel, research scientists, and oth-ers who need basic information on the properties and use of wood.A revised, special Centennial Edition of the Wood Handbook was produced as part of FPL’s Centennial Celebra-tion and released in June 2010. Up-dated to include new developments in the field of wood utilization, this edition also contained information on the newer wood preservative treat-ments, copper napthenate and zinc napthenate, as well as information on codes and standards. Several signifi-cant additions included: • a chapter on the importance of wood as an environmentally responsible, sustainable material,• micrographs of cross sections of hundreds of commercial wood spe-cies,• references to the most recent re-search on the properties of the wood cell wall at the nanoscale, and • a chapter on heat-treating and steril-ization procedures for wood products produced from trees killed by invasive insect species. This comprehensive, document (500+ pages) includes thousands of techni-cal references. It is available, free of charge, from FPL’s website (www.fpl.fs.fed.us). Over 200,000 downloads of the Centennial Edition, either the entire book or individual chapters, have been obtained from FPL’s web-site from users in 175 countries. The book is also available for purchase in hardcopy, with a companion CD ver-sion, from the Forest Products Society (www.forestprod.org). Also published in time for the Centen-nial Celebration was Forest Products Laboratory 1910–2010, Celebrating a Century of Accomplishments. Compiled and edited by John W. Koning Jr., the 500+ page book includes: concise summaries of 65 significant achieve-

ments of the FPL, with citations to the original research reports; a comparison of wood utilization in 1910 and in 2010; examples of the financial impact of the wood products industry on job creation and on the American economy; more than 500 color and over 300 black and white photographs illustrating research initiatives and products, forest ecosys-tems, and the FPL facilities over the course of a century; three reprinted re-ports that provide the detailed history and impact of selected examples of FPL research; and a list of the many people who have worked at the FPL during its 100-year history. This book is full of surprising and re-markable information about the many ways that wood products affect daily life. Scientists, manufacturers, policy-makers, and other experts will find it an extraordinary reference and his-tory of significant accomplishments in forest products research. It is available for purchase online at www.uwpress.wisc.edu/books/4975.htm.

The Next CenturyAfter a century of research, the FPL is well prepared to face the future and will continue to operate as the nation’s premier wood research institute and leading international technical author-ity on wood science and usage. Across the decades, FPL scientists have worked to better understand the physical properties of wood with research topics on timber testing, wood preservation, wood-based distillates, timber physics, pulp and paper, and wood chemistry. Current research also focuses on advanced composites, advanced structures, forest biorefinery, nanontechnology, and woody biomass utilization. The combination of the state-of-the-art Centennial Research Facility, the dedicated researchers and scientists, and the cooperative agreements with industry partners will ensure contin-ued success throughout the next 100 years of wood research.


Structural Features of HardwoodsVessels or PoresWood ParenchymaRay ParenchymaFibers

I. General Description of Vessels / PoresIn the cross section (transverse section), pores are seen as small, round or oval holes in wood. On the longitudinal (tangential or radial) surface, they appear as small groves or scratches, running parallel to the axis of the stem. These are also called Vessel lines.The arrangement, size, relative number of pores and pore contents as seen on the transverse section of wood are characteristic of timber species and helps in timber identification

II. Pore / Vessel IdentificationA. Pore arrangement

1. Ring PorousThis type of pore arrangement is more commonly found in temperate species due to a distinct change in the growing season. Pores that are formed during the early part of a growing season are distinctly larger and fewer than those formed during the later part of the same season. This results in a layer of fewer larger pores alternating with zones of abundant smaller pores. These visible rings are called “Annual Rings” because the wood is put on at the start of the spring growing season and ends in late summer / early fall. Examples: oaks (Quercus Spp.), ashes (Fraxinus Spp.), elms (Ulmus Spp.), teak (Tectona grandis) (Tropical).

2. Diffuse PorousThese are pores of fairly uniform size (sometimes very small, sometimes very large) distributed evenly throughout a layer of wood formed during a single growing season. Most (but not all) of the tropical timbers have vessels with this type of diffuse-porous arrangement. In the tropics, growth is continuous over a whole year and therefore, any ring that seems to appear is regarded as a “Growth Ring” and not an “Annual Ring” since multi-rings may appear in one year or one ring in several years.Examples: red alder (Alnus rubra), maples (Acer Spp.), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera). Virtually all tropical trees are diffuse-porous. Teak is one of the exceptions as listed above.

3. Semi-Ring-Porous or Semi-Diffuse-PorousWoods whose pore diameters very gradually from large in the earlywood to much smaller in the latewood with no clear separation of the early wood & latewood zones, are described as semi-ring-porous or semi-diffuse-porous.Example: black walnut, butternut and persimmon.

B. Pore SizePore sizes vary widely. Some pores are wide or large in diameter and are individually distinct to the naked eye. In other woods, the pores are very small and not distinct or easily visible to the naked eye. Pore diameter are measured on the cross section of the wood and measured in microns (um ). The measurements are made in the tangential direction.

Classification of Vessel SizesCross Section View Fine Classification Rough Classification(Tangential Direction)

Up to 25 microns Extremely small25 to 50 microns Very small Small>50 to 100 microns Moderately small

>100 to 200 microns Medium sized Medium sized

>200 to 300 microns Moderately large>300 to 400 microns Very large Largeover 400 microns Extremely large

Exploring...Vessel/Pore types for wood identificationInformation is from: Textbook of Wood Technology, by Panshin & DeZeeuw, Identifying Wood by R. Bruce Hoadley and Structure and Identification of Malaya Woods, by P Menon

by Duane Keck #9086


Generally for Diffuse-Porous, pore diameter will be generally uniform over the growth range. For Ring-Porous, the early wood will obviously be a larger diameter than the late wood. In many cases the late wood pores formed in late spring / early summer will be larger than the late wood pores formed in late summer / early fall.

C. Pore DensityPore density is one of the useful features for determining wood identification, especially when other structural features are similar.Examples: In woods like zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavilensis) and wenge (Millettia laurentii), the number of pores are characteristically few.In woods like black cherry (Prunus serotina) and basswood (Tilia americana), the pores are very numerous. Pore density is measured as the number of pores per square mm (~.040” square area)

Vessel Number Per Square Millimeter

Up to 2 per sq.mm Very few >2 to 5 per sp.mm Few >5 to 10 per sq.mm Moderately few >10 to 20 per sq.mm Moderately numerous >20 to 40 per sq.mm Numerous Over 40 per sq.mm Very numerous

Unfortunately, a microscope along with a square area reticle eye piece is required to make this measurement. The best we can do with a hand lens is to make your own judgment regarding what you see as a very few thru very numerous.

D. Pore Groupings / ArrangementThere are approximately 5 general grouping of pores that aid in the identification of wood. In ring pores wood, these pore grouping would be in the latewood. In diffuse-pores woods, these grouping would generally cover the whole growth ring

1. Solitary PoresPores may be scattered about as in single solitary element. Solitary pores generally are not touching other pores and do not form a set pattern except being scattered. Maple pore diameter is about 44 um. (very small)Example: maple (Acer Spp.).

2 Pore multiplesA pore multiple occurs where two or more pores (generally not more than 4 in a row) comes in contact with one another. Multiples are most commonly arranged in radial groups. Sometimes called radial multiples because the pores follow long side and follow in between ray lines. Example: cottonwood (Populus deltoides), jelutong (Dyera costulata).

Since the pore diameter for cottonwood is about 44 um (very small) it is very difficult to see the pore multiples with a hand lens. The very light color of cottonwood does not help the observation. The pore diameter of jelutong is about 165 um, (median-sized) making it easy to see the pore multiples.

3 Pore ChainsA pore chain is like a pore multiple except it is much longer. Pore chains also runs in the radial direction alongside and in-between rays. Example: American holly (Alex opaca).The pore diameter of American holly is about 22 um (extremely small), to small to see with a hand lens. It is measureable and viewable with a 45 x microscope.

4 Nested Pores (Pore Clusters)Nested pores or pore clusters are a group of pores crowded together in a round ball. These nested pores are generally isolated in the late wood of ring porous woods. Examples: Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus),American yellowwood (Cladrastis kentukea) (outer latewood).These nested pores sometimes are connected into tangential bands with confluent parenchyma.Examples: honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), osage orange (Maclura pomifera),red mulberry (Morus rubra).

5. Wavy Bands (ulmiform / ulmoid)Pores arranged in irregular concentric bands that are more or less tangential are called Wavy Bands (also referred to as ulmiform or ulmoid because this arrangement is a distinctive feature of all elms (Ulmus spp).Example: elms (Ulmus spp.).

6. Pore ContentsSome other features of vessels that have value in wood identification are vessel deposits and tyloses. Vessels that are no longer active in water conduction frequently become filled or plugged with a gummy or white chalky substances which blocks the vessel cavity. These are known as vessel deposits.Tyloses are bubble like structures that form in the cell cavities of vessels of some species. Example: Tyloses may be absent or sparse (as in most red oaks), variable (as in chestnut and ash), abundant (and in most white oaks) or densely packed (as in black locust).

7. Perforation TypesThe vessels are made up of a group of cells or tissue which functions as the sap-conducting system of hardwoods. The vessels are compound structures built up of a series of short, stumpy, barrel-like cells which are arranged one-over-the-other to form a continuous pipe-like system. The end walls of the individual cells are ruptured to facilitate the passage of sap. Then when the vessels are first formed the ends are fully enclosed and at a later stage, the end walls of the vessel become ruptured and the vessels fuse together end-to-end to form a continuous passage for the flow of sap.

Cont’ over page.


Simple Perforation Plates and Scalariform Perforation PlatesThe composite end-walls form where adjoining end walls of two vessel elements have matching openings or perforations, this perforation is called a perforation plate.It is called Simple Perforation Plates if the vessel junction is 100% open. It is called Scalariform Perforation Plates if it has a multiple slot-like grill-like openings. None of the above can be seen with a hand lens. Specialized equipment such as a microtome to make slides and a high quality and high powered microscope is required to make the observation. Most of the 3,000 Malaysian woods have simple perforations. Examples:Simple Perforation Plates: maple, American basswood, cottonwood, aspen,yellow buckeye and black cherryScalariform Perforation Plate: flowering dogwood, red alder, American holly, tuliptree, birch, sweet gum.

Cont’ from page 15.

Book Review by Duane Keck # 9086Structure and IdentificationOf Malayan Woods. By P.K.B.MenonRevised by Ani Sulaiman and Lim Seng Choon, 123 Pages. Malayan Forest Records No. 25. Forest Research Institute Malaysia. Kepong, 52109 K. Lumpur, Malaysia, April 1993 (The book does not have an ISBN Number)For any IWCS member that checks Interest # 2 “Wood Identification, Wood anatomy, etc,” this book is a must for your library. 123 Pages with a size of 9¾” (25 mm) x 6½” (17 mm)Malaysia has 3000 tree species which include 677 that achieves a diameter of 4 feet at breast height. There are 408 species shipped in the international market. 87 are listed in this text. The 10X cross section / transverse section photos are generally 2 ½” x 4” (6.5 mm x 10 ½ mm) in size (black and white only – no color).Microscope features are entirely left out and only features with a 10X magnification lens are covered. This limits the scope of structural features to strictly lens identification.In addition to a very good write up on classification & nomenclature of Malaysian timbers, it includes structural feature such as growth rings, vessel sizes and density / square mm, wood parenchyma types & ray width descriptions.This text compares favorably with R. Bruce Hoadley’s text of “Identifying Wood” for North American species. Its only drawback is that all the photos are black and white.It would be great if Africa, Central & South America and Australia would have one with a similar format.


In Gary Green’s article in the Jan/Feb World of Wood determining the cost of producing specimens, he meticulously computed – fairly and squarely – what the price of your typical specimen comes to. He’s dead right as far as my knowledge goes – I was there with Gary. The question that has to be asked however is, “What does one do to prevent going bankrupt if the yields can’t cover the expenditure?”I have always advocated the principle that, in any non-profit society, the benefits and expenditure must be shared equally. By this I mean that the people who already work the longest hours for the benefit of the members of their society (usually at the expense of social contacts, lawn mowing, club visits, going fishing and whatever) you should not be faced with additional cost. The truth however is that this is usually the case. The guys who work hardest and put in most hours also take a lot of telephone, gasoline and other expenditure in their stride – just for the love of the club they belong to, and that’s in good order too!Without wanting to become too scroungy —well I’ve heard that the Dutch have gotten themselves a certain reputation— I think there’s a very reasonable solution for that. Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about raising membership dues! What merits some attention is the ‘good old’ idea of availability and demand. Collecting takes effort, and the general principle is that wood that is easy to get, is cheap; whereas rare woods will be expensive and is hard to come by. Moreover, trade in many rare woods are regulated by the CITES rules, which mean that restrictions in trade, buying and selling and importing and exporting, apply. Indiscriminate harvesting in the past has left us with a legacy of threatened species. They deserve to be protected. However, in practice, we don’t think about that when buying a specimen of rosewood; that we want to add to our collections, don’t we?

So, is there a solution? Well, at NEHOSOC, some years back, we decided that the price of a specimen does not have to be uniform—and HCTO, our Belgian counterpart, have taken the same view. So, the rarest, most sought after woods have been priced higher than the ‘standard’ specimens. When by a stroke of good luck one of our members got his hands on a small log of Pterocarpus santalinus (red sanders) from southern India, which presumably, had been imported to our country many years ago, it was realized that in view of the status of this species, it merited a higher selling price. The wood was bought at a fair price too, and on account of its hardness took some specialist processing in order to yield samples. I could mention several other cases. These don’t entail fuel cost. However, driving to botanical gardens to see what they have there (sometimes it’s just plain rotten stuff, sometimes your hopes to make good are fulfilled) is adding ever more to the cost of a specimen. Although my car burns up only 1 litre for 14 kilometres (i.e., about 32 miles to the gallon), the price is about 8 dollars per gallon, so that counts for something.Those who were at Soest will appreciate that the Netherlands is about the size of some of your larger counties, so it’s a good idea to economize on fuel – or compensate for it. This I have done in two ways.First, I have raised the price of the specimens I privately sell, to 2 euros for regular samples, and 3 euros for scientifically documented/vouchered specimens. This will cover part of the gasoline bills, and also make buyers aware of what goes into a specimen. I don’t pretend spending an extraordinary amount of time on a specimen – there are others who are perfectionists and use standards I will never live up to. But I uphold that my specimens are at least well documented and, wherever

possible, reliably identified. And I don’t hesitate to correct my views if someone else knows better than I do.Second, I give the specimens away for free. Since the other side of the medal is that in case I get lucky (which happily does happen often) I’m able to offer specimens for free – provided people come to visit me and take the specimens with them. The latter ‘campaign’ I have christened ‘Has your (i.e., of NEHOSOC) Chairman become a Lunatic?’ – we Dutch are scroungy, hence this article – so you expect to pay for anything. As of now I have already become a lunatic on 4 occasions. The ‘fifth round’ is planned for later this year.All this notwithstanding, it still won’t pay for all the expenses incurred. However, I think this is a fair and honest way toward a slightly more balanced cost distribution – the most fanatical collectors will pay somewhat more and the cost will have been alleviated to a certain degree. Of course, a hobby is expected to entail some cost. But it would be only fair if those who profit most by the work of others would make some contribution toward costs. It will remain a labour of love and after all it’s great fun doing it. But when your wife comments, well you could have been using the time to earn some money – is that not just as fair?I hope this article does not offend anyone; in fact, I hope that it will stimulate an ongoing discussion. All who have read Gary’s What Goes Into The Cost Of A Specimen should consider which way the process of specimen production should go. They should also consider CITES aspects. And I would recommend everyone to take a look at the IUCN website (just search using the abbreviation IUCN) to appreciate how many plant (hence also tree) species are threatened.

Dealing with rising expenditure in producing specimensby Willem Hurkmans #8761-L


Derivation of the genus name Populus, is from the Latin name for the “Poplar trees.” The epithet or species name, trichocarpa, is from the Greek for “hairy fruit,” a reference to the three-part hairy fruits in the seed capsule. The common name “black” is from the black furrows in the bark. The cottonwoods (including the poplars and aspens) number about 35 species worldwide, all in the Northern Temperate Zone. The cottonwoods are found throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and in North Africa. There are eight native species, and one naturalized in Canada and the U.S., four of which extend into Mexico. Two additional native species are found in Mexico. Numerous cultivated variations have been introduced and many natural hybrids occur adding more than a bit of confusion (and occasional disagreement) to the botanical classification of this group of rather common, undistinguished trees. (There are reportedly over 5000 genotypes of hybrid poplar today, most identified by number only.) Black cottonwood, Populus trichocarpa, also called western balsam poplar, California poplar, or balsam

Leaves of black cottonwood.Bark of mature black cottonwood.

Stream -bank black cottonwood.

Black Cottonwood Populus trichocarpa (Torr.&Gray)A Broadleaf Deciduous HardwoodSalicaceae - Willow Family

cottonwood, has a native range extending, in the U.S. and Canada, from Kodiak Island and Cook Inlet in southern Alaska across western British Columbia and Alberta in Canada. From there the range extends south and west across Washington and Oregon into Montana and North Dakota, on south well into California. Black cottonwood is a big tree, the largest of the poplars and the largest hardwood in the western U.S. and Canada. These trees grow on a variety of soil types and sites from the moist silts, sands, and gravel of river bottoms to the rich soils and loams of the uplands. Best growth is at the lower elevations on deep, moist, rich soils. However, in British Columbia the elevation range extends to nearly 7000 ft. (2100 m). In the better growing areas annual precipitation ranges from 10 in. (250 mm) to more than 120 in. (3050 mm). In the mountains and inland areas, much of the dormant-season precipitation falls as snow. The frost-free period ranges from about 70 days in the interior to more than 260 days in southern California. Maximum temperatures can be from 60 to 117 degrees F (16 to 47 degrees C), minimum temperatures from 32 to -53 degrees F (0 to -47 degrees C). Associates of the black cottonwood vary with location. They may be red alder, Alnus rubra, Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii, western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla, western redcedar, Thuga plicata, Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis, Grand fir, Abies grandis, bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum, Oregon ash, Fraxinus latifolia, several pines, Pinus spp., birches, Betula spp., cherries, Prunus spp., spruces, Picea spp., and various others.

Trees typically grow to heights of 98 to 164 ft. (30 to 50 m) with stem diameters over 6.5 ft. (2 m) dbh. An occasional tree is reported to be over 200 ft. (61 m) with a stem of 9 ft. (2.7 m) dbh. Life span for these trees varies considerably with growing conditions—from 70 to 400 years, usually maxing out at about 200. Tree stems are usually straight and clear halfway to the narrow, cylindrical, round-topped, dense crowns of erect branches. Leaf blades are 3 to 6 in. (7.5 to 15 cm) long, 2 to 4 in. (5 to 10 cm) wide, broadly oval, pointed at the tip, rounded at the base, and finely

Ron DeWitt #6037 SU


wavy-toothed along the margins. Leaves are slightly thickened, shiny dark green above, whitish and often with rusty veins below, turning yellow in autumn. Leaf stems are slender, round, and hairy, 1.5 to 3 in. (4 to 7.5 cm) long. Twigs are moderately stout, orange-brown to light yellow-brown or greenish-brown, slightly angular. Terminal buds are 0.75 in. (18 mm) long and resinous, yielding a pleasant balsam-like scent when crushed. Bark is tawny yellow to gray and smooth on young stems, thickening and darkening to dark gray or gray-brown, and separated by deep black furrows into narrow, flat-topped ridges. Black cottonwood is dioecious, male (pollen producing) and female (seed producing) sex components develop separately on different trees. The flowers of each develop in the form of catkins. The longer female catkins develop 3- to 8-inch- (8- to 20-centimeter-) long strings of bead-like spherical fruit capsules which split into three segments to release huge crops of tiny seeds when ripe. The seeds have a tuft of white silky hairs, the “cotton,” easily blown by the wind. This cottony fluff is the stuff that accumulates in drifts on the road, in air conditioners, car radiators, window screens, etc. Trees may start producing seed at six to eight years. Mature trees are said to produce up to 48 million seeds a year. Wood of black cottonwood is semi-ring to diffuse porous with distinct but inconspicuous growth rings. Pores are small, numerous, scarcely visible

Seed-carrying cotton.

Black cottonwood board.

to the unaided eye. The uniseriate rays are very fine and rarely visible, even with a hand lens. Sapwood is narrow, whitish, often merging subtly into the grayish-white to light gray heartwood. The wood is without characteristic taste or odor when dry, but has a disagreeable odor when moist. This wood is straight grained, uniformly medium to finely textured, and light weight, specific gravity of 0.31, 22 lb/cu. ft.

(350 kg/m3) at 12% M.C. This wood seasons slowly because of its very high moisture content when fresh-cut and requires careful control to minimize warping. It remains somewhat unstable after drying. This wood is soft, tough, brittle, weak, and a lightweight—not as heavy as aspen, Populus spp., or basswood, Tilia Americana. It also has little decay resistance. This wood works easily with sharp-edged hand or power tools but tends toward fuzzy surfaces. Sanding with a block is necessary to minimize wash-boarding; scraping sometimes works. It takes and holds fasteners without splitting, glues, stains, and paints readily. It is not a good choice for turning, but carves nicely. There are no reported health hazards from working with cottonwood, but the usual dust precautions should be observed. Black cottonwood is a tree of many uses. It is popular food and cover for many wildlife species including deer, elk, and beaver. Birds use the tree crowns for nesting sites, and with other animals enjoy tree trunk cavities. Native Americans discovered that the disinfectant properties of the resinous tree buds were useful in treating sore throats, coughs, lung discomfort and rheumatism. The gummy resin of the

leaf buds was sometimes used as glue or waterproofing. Buds and inner bark were also eaten as food during hard times. Some of these materials are still used in modern natural health ointments. The aggressive root system of this tree has made it an effective soil stabilizer, although it is occasionally a problem with underground piping systems. It is also useful for shade, as an ornamental, and in shelter belts and wind breaks. In Europe this tree is commonly used for highway screening. Much is used as bio-mass fuel. The short, fine fibers and freedom from staining make cottonwood desirable as pulp for tissue and high-quality book and magazine paper. It is also used for particle-board, oriented-strand board, plywood, veneer, fibreboard, and hidden parts in furniture. Some is used for molding and trim, light construction, boxes, crates, berry baskets, and cheese boxes. Some is still occasionally used for canoes and fish traps. The genome size, rapid growth, brief time to reproductive maturity, and economic importance are said to have made Populus trichocarpa notable as a model organism in plant biology. It has been and continues to be studied extensively. In 2006 it became the first woody plant to have its genome sequence published. Black cottonwood is very susceptible to fire damage, and the brittle branches are not very durable in ice storms or heavy snow. Browsing animals take a share of young timber, the usual array of insects and fungi cause some damage, but in none of its natural areas is this species seriously threatened. Reserves remain good.


Following the 65th birthday of that Society in February, 2012, NEHOSOC in their annual meeting, convened in Amsterdam on March 24, 2012, have named well-known IWCS member and Associate Editor Nelis Mourik #7460-L as their (currently only) Honorary Member in the presence of his wife Marianne. Mr Mourik was kindly and ably addressed by former NEHOSOC chairman Erik Both and received a prolonged ovation. After this he received a commemorative diploma.Mr Mourik has served both the international community of wood friends and Nehsoc for a considerable number of years and has served on the NEHOSOC board for well over 15 years. After several terms he has now left the board, which was

Allen Shaffer (#1823) passed away in 1984 but his memory lives on. Last fall, I received a call from Garry Roux requesting that I pay a visit to his widow Alice (who lives in Sunnyvale, California) as she wished to donate her late husband’s wood collection to the IWCS. I called Alice in November and paid her a visit shortly afterward. The first thing I noticed upon entering her home was a collection of carved and turned items on a set of shelves opposite the front door. Alice pointed out which items her husband had carved and that the rest were various acquisitions and gifts from all over the world. The second thing I noticed was the absolutely exquisite redwood mantle over the fireplace.Alice and I quickly bonded when, upon her complaining about her balance problems as a result of the after effects of a craniotomy, I mentioned that I, too, had had a craniotomy. She asked how I happened to have one and it turned out that we had the same condition: a massive hematoma. After quite awhile comparing notes, this lovely and wonderful woman informed me that she needed to donate her

a vey good occasion for a vote of thanks and a formal decoration by his Society.He is well known as an active IWCS member and writes on subjects as varied as Shrubwoods, Wood identification, Botanical Gardens and Fossil woods, both in English and Dutch. Moreover he is a well known expert in wood identification. Mr Mourik has visited the United States on several occasions and was one of the hosting IWCS members at the Soest meeting in 2009.As trustee of the EuroAfrica region and chairman of NEHOSOC it is a very pleasing task to bring you this joyful news.

husband’s wood collection as she was about to move to Phoenix to an assisted living facility. She proceeded to give me two boxes filled with specimens. Upon getting home, I looked over the specimens and was pleased to see that they consisted not only of representative specimens of relatively common species but also specimens having striking and unusual figure. They ranged in size from 2” X 4” X ½” to standard sample size (most of them) to oversize.One week later, I got a letter from Alice telling me that she discovered another box of wood specimens. I arranged a time to pick them up. It was this time in early December that I told her how amazed I was that she had kept these specimens for such a long time. It was clear that she treasured them as they served to remind her of Allen and his love for wood. I met her on a number of occasions during the following weeks. Alice also has donated a redwood mantle and is definitely pleased that the specimens and mantle will be treasured.She wants the mantle to have a home in the western U.S. The specimens can have a home with

Honours bestowed upon Nelis Mourik

by Willem Hurkmans #8761-L

A Tribute to Allen Shaffer by Dave Mouat #7101

whoever wishes them. There are some beautiful, rare and unusual specimens among the more than 200 that Allen had. For a list of specimens and prices (my best guess), please email me at [email protected]. All proceeds will be donated to the IWCS.

Dale Hodge of Roachdale, Indiana, is a friend we will miss. He passed away 3 rd, November,2011 as a result of pheumonia. He was an avid wood turner and wood worker. He used his skills to help his grand daughter make some beautiful 4H woodworking entries. He collected all the wood he could find with beautiful grain or burls.

by Bill Cockrell #4654L-HL

Tribute to Dale Hodge #5905


Editor: Inadvertently sections of the green ebony section of the Dyewoods article were left out in the March/April issue of World of Wood. Follow-ing is the entirety of the green ebony story. Green ebonyGreen ebony has been a real chal-lenge. Initially, the name green ebony could not be matched to any species; however, it soon became apparent that this was because it is not a primary common name. Finally five separate species called green ebony were found, but at first, none of the five could be con-nected to dyes. This is in contrast to the other woods examined in this article. The tree and timber literature identified three species: Brya ebenus also known as cocus-wood, a legume, Tabebuia serrati-folia (Tecoma serratifolia) or Tabebuia sp. also known as ipe of the family Bignoniaceae, and Diospyros chlo-roxylon of the Ebanaceae. The first two come from Central America or the West Indies which along with their general characteristics made them likely dyewood candidates. The last one is from India.

Dyewoods (continued from March/April 2012)

The common name green ebony probably comes from the fact that these woods have a greenish cast or hue to them and that they are all hard and heavy like ebony.Two other names were discov-ered by consulting the 20 volume Oxford English Dictionary, the definitive authority on the English language. There, green ebony was defined as "The wood of the West Indian tree Jacaranda ovalifolia, also of Excoercaria glandulosa. No refer-ence was made to dyes. A search for these species in the wood litera-ture also did not connect either of them to dyes; however, the chemi-cal literature on natural dyes made the connection. Jacaranda ovalifolia (J. mimosifolia) of the Bignoniaceae family is the tree commonly just known as jaca-randa and widely planted for its showy blue to purple flowers. It is a small to medium sized tree na-tive to the Caribbean. The wood is described as pale gray to whitish, straight-grained and relatively soft. It has very limited use for turnery and bowl carving. Excoercaria glandulosa (Gymnanthes

glandulosa) is in the family Euphor-biaceae. Unfortunately no descrip-tion of this particular species could be found. The Gymnanthes genus contains a small number of shrubs and small trees found in the Carib-bean region. The best known is G. lucida know as oysterwood. This is a small tree to 30 feet in height. Oysterwood has an olive brown heartwood with a sharply demar-cated white sapwood. It is hard and heavy with an air-dry density of 68 to 75 pcf. The chances are good that G. glandulosa is similar but possibly comes from a smaller tree or shrub as it is not mentioned in the context of commercial woods.These latter two green ebonies seem to have little in common but were mentioned together in a number of sources. They produce dye colors of yellow to olive-green to brown. The results are similar to old fustic and green ebony is mentioned as a substitute. The coloring agents are jacarandin and excoecarin.

by Ken Bassett #543

In addition to Garry’s mentioning A. V. (Swede) Pearson passing in the last World of Wood, Swede was from the Northwest Chapter and I would like to add some memories of him. Swede was always active in our local meetings and he served as the finance person on our wood auctions for many years along with Frank Lynn. Swede recorded all the winning bids and made it easy for the treasurer to collect the procedes from the buyers. He was also active in our annual outing to the Southern Oregon beaches where we salvaged

driftwood of all kinds. These outings often produced some excellent myrtlewood as well as other useful woods. These trips were well attended until Federal regulations prevented the practice in about 2001. I recall that Swede was often the brunt of “Swedish Jokes” and he enjoyed the ribbing from the group. At a meeting near Tacoma WA in the shop of Jerry Oetgen, Jerry was showing us a large maple bowl he had turned where he turned too deep and went through the bottom. He held it up and looked at

the group through the hole. As he did this, Al Kristek noted that the Swedes were the inventors of the toilet seat. Then the Norweigens made an improvement by putting a hole in it. Swede reacted by saying, ‘Oh, that was just like a knife in my heart’, but he also got a good laugh out of it. Like most of us, Swede had acquired quite a lot of wood over the years. His family members are now working on getting a lot of it ready for our spring “Wood Auction.”

Tribute to A. V. (Swede) Pearson by Allan Schwindt #8209 L


Tinder Fungus In the world of woody tissue there is almost nothing as odd as this ‘woody mushroom’. Of course it is no wood, like Palms, Bamboo and treefern is no wood, even while they are in the Plant Kingdom. Tinder fungus is a member of the Fungus Kingdom, a separate main group of living organisms besides Plants, Animals and Bacteria. In addition, Tinder fungus is woody enough for a description here, and what is more, tinder fungus grows on wood.Tinder fungus’ scientific name is Fomes fomentarius (L.:Fr.) J.Kickx f.. Since the time Linnaeus called it Boletus fomentarius L. (in 1753) it received some ten other genus names. The genus name Fomes is given by Elias Magnus Fries (in 1849), an important Swedish mycologist in the 19th century, and is generally accepted and in use up to today. Also 22 more synonyms are known. Perhaps this is an indication that taxonomy in the Fungus Kingdom is much more complex than in the Plant Kingdom. Ultimately, only the fruit body of fungi can be studied macroscopically! It’s in its family Polyporaceae, after the genus Polyporus meaning ‘with many pores’.

Shrubwoods of the World

A dried fruit body, attached to a piece of trunk.

Cross section of the entire fruit body.Lense view of a cross section of the dried flesh.

by Nelis Mourik #7460 L

The genus name Fomes is referring to the Latin word for ‘spark’. The specific epithet fomentarium is after the Latin word ‘fomentum’ meaning ‘tinder’.Tinder fungus is found throughout Europe, Asia, and eastern North America as well as in North Africa. In northern regions they usually grow on birch trees, more south also on beech trees. Besides they can be found on alder, maple, hornbeam, ash, walnut, apple, poplar, plum, rowan, oak and lime, rarely on conifers such as larch.Other common names are hoof fungus, tinder polypore, tinder conk, and – recently – ‘Iceman Fungus’. Its Spanish name is hongo yesquero. In French, Amadouvier. In Dutch, tondelzwam. In German zünderschwamm. In the latter name we clearly see its main use: Zünden means to ignite (see below).Tinder fungus is a parasite, starting on live but weak trees with poor health. They penetrate their mycelium ‘threads’ through damaged bark or broken branches, causing white rot, and eventually death of the tree, while forming enormous fruit bodies. Then it continues its life as a wood decomposer, until the log is completely destroyed. The fruit bodies can reach ages of up to 30 years. They start as a small ‘half mushroom’ hanging on the bark, but can reach

a width of up to 50 cm across by 25 cm high.They are too weakly parasitic to infect healthy trees.Tinder fungus typically has broad, concentric ridges with rounded margins, every lower new ridge wider than the previous. Their color can vary from silvery white through greyish brown to nearly black. Usually they are light brown to grey. Dead fruit bodies will turn to a dark grey-brown. Fungi are not built up of cells and cell wall material like woods. Instead they have a ‘fine hairy’ structure of usually colorless threads called hyphae, intertwined into a tangled web called mycelium. Normally hyphae are invisible to the naked eye, even mycelium is, but not when they are massively packed together, as in the fungus fruit


body. Fungi are also not built up of cellulose, like wood is. Instead their cell wall material is chitin, a polysaccharide that also comprises the outside skeleton of insects and other arthropods.The upper surface of a tinder fungus fruit body is tough, bumpy, hard and woody. Perhaps horny is a better description. The hard skin is between 2 and 4 mm thick. When knocking on it the fruit body sounds suggesting hollow. Nevertheless it is massive. The flesh inside is hard and fibrous, cinnamon brown colored, also when dry, grained in a vertical direction, which indicates the downward growth direction. It is fine textured and straight grained. Yearly growth zone boundries are perpendicular to the grain and clearly visible as horizontal interruptions in the vertical structure. The flesh in cross section shows a regular pattern of pores, 2-5 per mm, so about 5-20, most commonly around 15 per mm2, round to slightly oval shaped, 150-200 µm wide. Many have white contents, the higher up in the fruit body, the more contents. The same pattern of pores is visible on the underside of the fruit body. That is for releasing its white spores in spring to early summer. For those who keep thinking woody, besides these vessels (that are no vessels!) there are no rays. The dried flesh has a warm and velvety feel.

Lens view of a longitudinal section through the lower edge.

Wood sample ‘flat sawn’.

In the bulbous regions, which are the zones of yearly horizontal growth, grain is also in the growth direction, sometimes displaying a fine fan-shaped pattern in a longidinal section. These zones contain no pores, unless after growing downwards in vertical grain. This poreless tissue serves for producing amadou (see below).Specific gravity of the dried flesh is about 300 kg/m3, the average over the whole fruit body is 350 - 380 kg/m3.A dry mature fruit body can be cut easily by using a sharp handsaw. In that case the wood from the trunk will be even softer than that of the fungus, so the whole thing cuts like polystyrene foam – except the hard skin. Then, when manageable on the table saw, also a sharp circular saw makes good results. Planing the material after cutting won’t work. Both the hard but brittle skin and the inside flesh easily break out or will be torn out on the machine planer. A band sander makes better results. Extracting the fine dust from the machine is an important must. It is better not inhaling it, to avoid ‘lungifungitis’, for the same reason as when turning spalted wood on the lathe!Tinder fungus is not poisonous, but because of its hard fibrous structure not edible.Some dig out all soft material and use the outer skin as flowerpot, mounted on a piece of board. It is said to be used somewhere as Christmas decoration. It was also used for various medicinal purposes.Possibly the most important and oldest use of tinder fungus is making fire. Besides for making hats, gloves and breeches, and for drying flies for fishing. The material processed for this purpose is called amadou, a fine, soft, felt-like fabric made from the poreless flesh just

below the hard outer skin. It is obtained by carefully removing the skin from the fruit body, followed by even more carefully removing that poreless flesh from the pored mass underneath. After soaking it in water for several days to weeks, the rough sheet can be hammered to beat it thinner, larger and stronger, while obtaining a softer touch. It has great water absorbing abilities, lasting for years, and is highly flammable. It allowed ancient people to start fire by catching sparks from for instance flint struck against iron pyrites. Also amadou keeps smoldering slowly with very little heat, possibly providing the ability to transport or keep fire over a longer distance and time.When found in a glacier in the Ötz Valley on the Austrian-Italian border in 1991 the 5,000 years old ice-mummy called ‘Ötzi the Iceman’ appeared to carry four pieces of tinder fungus among his tools and equipment, along with other outfit that served as a firestarting kit. Something like what we now call a tinderbox.


A Guide to More Useful Woods of the WorldEdited by James H. Flynn, Jr.

The book includes 71 additional wood data sheets (WDS) bringing the total of published WDSs to 350, PLUS two comprehensive indexes. It also contains fourteen articles from highly respected professionals in wood-related matters: Richard Crow, Alan B. Curtis, Mihaly Czako, Eugene Dimitriadis, Robert Goldsack, Ernie Ives, Siegfried Klotsche, and Regis Miller.A Guide to More Useful Woods of the World was launched at the 2007.Softcover, 376 pages. $29.95 plus postage to members.

A Guide to Useful Woods of the WorldEdited by James H. Flynn, Jr. and Charles D. Holder

Published in 2001, the first printing sold out! Reprinted in 2007, here’s your chance to have a copy of the definitive statement on 279 woods of the world. The description for each wood includes: scientific and family names, common names, distribution, the tree, the timber, seasoning, durability, workability, uses, and supplies, along with a line drawing, a photomicrograph, and a color photograph of the wood. Also included are common name, scientific name, and family name indexes and 3 appendices. This is a second edition, softcover, 640 pages. $39.95 plus postage for members.

These publications are marketeted on behalf of IWCS and are available through:Forest Products Society 2801 Marshall Court Madison, Wl 53705-2395 Phone: 608-231-1361 ext. 202 Fax: 608-231-2152

Before chain saws


The Tree of Gernika

Robin and I recently visited the Tree of Gernika located in the town of Gernika in the Basque area of northern Spain. This oak tree is a universal symbol for the Basque people. The dead trunk of the Old Tree of Gernika stands in the grounds and although it’s not the first of all the Trees of Gernika, it is the oldest vestige that is conserved. Successive trees have been replaced by a seedling grown from an acorn from the previous Tree of Gernika.The town of Gernika, better known as Guernica was founded in 1366, and the strategic importance of the site was that it lay on a major river estuary, where vessels could dock at the port of Suso. From very early times meetings were held in the open air around the Tree of Gernika which became the Basque equivalent of a parliament. This parliament rule lasted until 1876, when the old laws which governed life in Biscay were abolished. After being suspended for 102 years, parliment resumed in 1979.The Tree of Gernika represent the living symbols of the history of the Basque people. Spanish Kings were sworn, under the famous Tree of Gernika, to respect the Basque peoples local rights. Basque culture is extremely strong and resillient and over the centuries many have tried to supress,

eliminate, intimidate, or dilute, the Basque culture. All that happened was a strengthening of the Basque resolve. The Meeting House is the headquarters of the Basque country, a meeting point for all the territories in the Basque country, united by a single cultural and ethnologic tradition. The standout act of agression against them in the 20th century happened on 26 April 1937 when the town was saturation bombed by Hitler’s forces,with the blessing of Franco and many were killed.When parliament commissioned Pablo Picasso to produce a painting to support the democratically elected government against the military rebellion led by France, Picasso chose the bombing of Gernika as his theme, and as Picasso became more famous, so also, did Gernika.The Tree of Gernika stood on a small hillock and has been perpetuated by successive specimens of oak trees just as the soul of the Basque Country is transmitted from generation to generation.The Father Tree of Gernika was planted in the 14th century and lived for 450 years. The Old Tree was planted in 1742, and died in 1892. The trunk now is

by Morris Lake #7534

On the left is the Meeting House, the building of which was commenced in 1826, and on

the right the new Tree of Gernika

planted in front of the Assembly House and around which meetings have been held for centuries.

The trunk of the Old Tree of Gernika.

held in a monument in the surrounding garden, and is shown above.The third tree was planted in 1860, and survived the bombing of Gernika in 1937, but had to be replaced because of a fungus in 2004. The gardeners of the Biscayan government keep several spare trees grown from the tree’s acorns.The current tree, as shown below, germinated in 1986 was planted on the site of its father on the 25th of February 2005.


Before chain saws


I often have very rare, sometimes even once-in-a-life-time samples available from botanical gardens, stock from old tropical institutes and own import. From some species I am the only supplier of wood samples in the world. My list is very interesting for the advanced wood collector. Please contact me for a list.

Henk Bakker #6966 L Leeuwerikstraat 23, 2352 ER Leiderdorp, Netherlands E-mail: [email protected]

I provide a wide variety of woods in standard and other sizes, including blanks for pens, knife handles, bows, pistol grips, etc. I also have a lot of highly figured snakewood.

David Persram #2262L Persram’s Woods, Crafts, and Pens, 24 Belvoir Court, Bel-Air, Georgetown, Guyana 592-226-1757 E-mail: [email protected]

I have a good range of more than 400 species of Australian rainforest and outback woods in specimen size or as egg blanks. I will also cut to your requirements

Colin Martin #71894 Dorothea Crt, Harristown,Queensland 4350, AustraliaPhone: (061) 4635 3697E-mail: [email protected]

Need the following for some research: Canarium schweinfurthii, Cotylelobium melanoxylon, Eucalyptus nobilis, Hopea nutans, Shorea argentifolia, Shorea faguetiana, Shorea johorensis, Shorea leprosula, Shorea smithiana, Shorea superba.

Stephen Lovell #9411 830 Pineview Lane Sylacauga, AL 35150 USA E-mail: [email protected]

I have a piece of mahogany for sale to the highest bidder. Harvested in Homestead, Fla. after the ’92 hurricane 14½ X 15½ X 23 high. A few very minor checks. Will send pics to serious bidders. Can deliver between Mississippi and Buffalo, S. Carolina, D. C.and S. Florida.

Marven Smith #33631256 Moffett Rd, Lucedale, MS 39452-7803 USAPhone: 601-947-3014E-mail: [email protected]

African Wood Specimens: Contact me for list of African species available. All woods from environmentally approved sources. Barry James #9380 Brousse-James & Associates; Ecological & Environmental Services PO Box 1304, Howick, 3290 South Africa Tel/Fax +27(0)33 3304984 Cell: 0828954089 E-mail: [email protected] Web: [email protected]

I have two or more specimens of more than 700 to 800 different woods from around the world in my stock. I would like to exchange or sell. They are standard or another sizes. Contact me for my list.

Dieter Becker #6362 43, Engersgaustr., Neuwied, 56566, Germany E-mail:[email protected]

600-plus different kinds of wood specimens precisely crafted and labeled, most identified from trees in the forest. I have woods from the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, and others. Contact me for a list.

Alan B. Curtis #1132HL 2370 Douglas Drive, Eugene, Oregon 97405 USA E-mail: [email protected]

I provide wood specimens from around the globe, accurately dimensioned, nicely sanded and labeled. I maintain a mailing list and send notification when new specimens become available. Contact me for a list.

Gary Green #6654L 9923 N 800 E, Syracuse, IN 46567 E-mail: [email protected] www.woodsbygwgreen.com

Over 1,000 different wood specimens from around the world. Over one-third are specially figured like blistered, curly, fiddle back, quilted, bird eye, mottled, burled and others.

Réjean Drouin #3589 333, 19 e rue, Québec, Québec, Canada G1L 2A5 Phone : 418-529-5466 E-mail:[email protected]

I am interested in doing some

swaps. I have 2,200 specimens 60 x 6 x 90 mm of all sorts of imported and home-grown woody plants.

Lionel Daniels #6509 Windy Heights High Cross, Foxfield , Petersfield Hampshire United Kingdom GU32 1EK Phone: 01730 827472

I have over 1,000 species in specimens form for sale or trade. Many are extras received over the years so I only have one of many. Contact me for my list and send me your list.

Dennis Wilson #2324L 12008 Andresen Dr., South Lyon, MI 48178-9109, USA E-mail: [email protected]

Member’s Listings and RequestsMembers with wood specimens for sale

I can buy, sell and trade back issues of the World of Wood magazine. Get the missing issues you need at $2 each, and less by the year or by the decade. Half of all proceeds go to the IWCS endowment fund. Issues available from 1948 on, free shipping in the USA.

Richard Kuehndorf #8593 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 1-866-RAREWOOD

Back issues World of Wood


Cardwellia sublimisNorthern silky oakDerivation: Cardwellia in honour of the Rt Hon. E. Cardwell, M. P., later Viscount Cardwell. Sublimis from the Latin sublimis (somewhat lofty), alluding to the large stature of the tree. The common name alludes to its occurrence in north Queensland and the wood rays which are similar to oak.Family: Proteaceae, a large family with 32 genera, the largest of which are Grevillea, Banksia, Hakea, Dryandra, Adenanthus and Macadamia. Cardwellia however has only one representative, so it is unique.Other names: Northern oak, bull oak, oak, golden spangle wood, lace wood and the Aboriginal name oongaary.Distribution: Northern silky oak has limited distribution in northern Queensland from Mt. Spec north of Townsville to Bloomfield, north of Cairns and seldom extends more than 60 km from the coast. It grows from sea level to 1,000 metres and occurs on many soil types varying from shallow skeletal soils to deep, well drained soils on basalt, granite and metamorphic rocks. It grows in most northern Queensland rainforest types and is therefore associated with many tree species.The tree: It’s a medium sized to tall tree growing to 40 metres and 2.0 metres in diameter. The lower trunk is generally straight, but the upper is not always so and is sometimes too crooked to produce millable logs. The trunk is usually clean for two thirds of its height. Reg Lockyer commented that one ‘old wag’ once suggested they must grow in the dark. Buttressing is minimal consisting mainly of grooves at the base. Many trees are ‘round to the ground’ while others are said to resemble an elephant’s foot. The bark is flaky and the outer blaze is commonly biscuit-brown in colour.

The not-too-straight trunk of a Northern silky oak at Lake Barrine, Queensland, Australia.

Trunk with biscuit-brown blaze.

Partly decomposed and open woody

fruit capsules lying on the forest

floor.

Australian Woods No. 33

The adult leaves are opposite but not always, ovate in shape with a medium length petiole. They are spirally arranged and the terminal leaf is absent. The underside of new leaves are irridescent brown and the lateral veins form loops inside the leaf margins. The twigs have numerous small lenticels which are minute pores with similar function to the leaf stomata.The creamy coloured flowers are typical Grevillea spike-like racemes and the seeds are oval brown flat, and narrowly winged around the margins.The distinctive features of the tree are its biscuit-brown blaze, the oak grain in the inner blaze of the stem and branches, the pinnate leaves and large woody fruits.

by Morris Lake #7634


Wood of Cardwellia sublimisThe sapwood is narrow and a lighter colour than the hardwood which is a pale pinkish brown marked and with prominent rays on the quarter cut surface. The wood is regarded as a world class furniture, and veneer wood and has been in high demand for more than 100 years. It’s priced according to its quality. It has the longest life in log form of any species growing in north Queensland and can be cut and stockpiled during the wet season, awaiting suitable conditions for removal from the rainforest with no adverse effects. The texture is coarse but the grain is straight. It’s a strong, durable and attractive timber. The fact that the trunk tends to be irregular is somewhat of an advantage in this wood, because, some incredibly figured patterns become evident where there is slight directional change. This effect is random in intensity. This makes it an absolutely fascinating wood to work with and the final results will rarely disappoint. It is durable when exposed to the weather but not when in contact with the ground. It has an air dry density at 12% moisture of 560 kg/m3. Reg Lockyer comments that this wood is so easy on saws that frequently a mill will use the same saw for several days before sharpening is necessary. It dries well with no movement. It works, dresses, and glues well. Back cut boards dry much faster than those quarter cut so sorting the material before drying is important. Shrinkage is around 1.5% radially and 4.5% tangentially. Contact with the sawdust can cause an itchy rash in some individuals. Some trees have tiny gum veins, however this can usually be picked where the bark has small eruptions on the surface.The wood is now in limited supply due to World Heritage listing, however, even without this listing the timber was extensively harvested and represented 10-15% of the total mill intake during its commercial usage. It is still available, but supply is limited. As I have mentioned previously regarding southern silky oak, one of its former uses that I constantly fail to come to grips with, is that it was also used extensively in the production of tomato cases—taking farm produce to market—and boxes to secure four-gallon kerosene (paraffin) tins in transit. This was simply because silky oak

Untreated specimen of northern silky oak.

Untreated quarter-cut specimen showing medullary rays, the beauty

for which this wood is famous.

Two northern silky oak spoons carved by Micheal Kerin, “The Spoon Man”, Ather-

ton Tableland, and a mango and citron

turned by Reg Lockyer, Ravenshoe.

was so plentiful, easy to work and most importantly—did not split when nailed—and because its availability exceeded its high-end furniture use. In the manufacture of packing cases, the nails were driven into the extreme ends of the top, bottom and side boards and since it didn’t split and was readily available, away it went. These were single-use containers, most of which were destroyed—except the ones recovered from the dump by those less fortunate.I realise it‘s easy to look back and criticise the possible ‘misuse’ of such valuable resources, however, the important thing for us to learn, is to not repeat our mistakes, but to respect the intrinsic value of our treasures which nature has so wonderfully provided.This is the importance of the declaration of World Heritage listing for the great diversity and exotic species contained in these magnificent


INTERNATIONAL WOOD COLLECTORS SOCIETYWOOD SPECIMEN KIT

In response to the requests of wood collectors, the International Wood Collectors Society endeavors to supply wood specimens of 80 species. Prepared specimens measuring 0.5 x 3 x 6 inches are available in kits containing up to 44 specimens. Whether used for studying wood structure or identification, these specimens will prove to be a valuable resource of information to collector, tradesman, craftsman, teacher, or hobbyist alike. Specimens are shipped in a padded cardboard box and are numbered to correspond to the list below. Also included is an eight-page wood identification bulletin with an identification keys and photos.

Specimen prices Member Price Non-Member 40 specimens – minimum order $100.00 $140.00 Order limit - two orders per customer Each additional specimen $2.50 $3.50 Shipping Charges: To US $12.00 For up to 44 specimens $24.00 For 45 - 80 specimens To Canada and Mexico $33.00 For up to 44 specimens $66.00 For 45 - 80 specimens To Other countries $48.00 For up to 44 specimens $96.00 For 45 - 80 specimens 1. Shipping is via Priority Mail Flat Rate Box. Shipping charges apply equally to members and non-members. 2. Non-members may wish to join IWCS before ordering to access member prices . See the IWCS website for membership info. US$ Annual Membership fee $35; 3 years $90; 5 years $125; life membership $500 www.woodcollocters.org 3. Members ordering – please state your Membership Number here______________.

Please mail or email your requests (by item number) to Gary Green,9923 N 800 E, Syracuse, IN 46567 USA or [email protected],

Gary will notify you of the total with shipping and payment options. Members must include membership number.

CIRCLE CHOICES FROM THE FOLLOWING LIST (minimum order 40 specimens) 9 Abies balsamea balsam fir 46 Maclura pomifera Osage-orange 38 Acacia farnesiana huisache 61 Magnolia grandiflora southern magnolia 90 Acer negundo box-elder 23 Melia azedarach Chinaberry 58 Acer saccharinum silver maple 28 Metasequoia glyptostroboides dawn redwood 64 Acer saccharum sugar maple 80 Microberlinia brazzavillensis zebrawood 71 Ailanthus altissima tree-of-heaven 52 Morus rubra red mulberry 43 Albizia julibrissin mimosa 17 Picea pungens blue spruce 51 Alnus rubra red alder 41 Pinus palustris longleaf pine 47 Arbutus menziesii Pacific madrone 88 Pinus radiata radiata pine 78 Betula alleghaniensis yellow birch 89 Pinus strobus eastern white pine 76 Callitris glaucophylla white cypress-pine 72 Planera aquatica water-elm 48 Carya illinoinensis pecan 67 Platanus occidentalis sycamore 62 Cedrela odorata Spanish-cedar 49 Podocarpus macrophyllus podocarpus 29 Cedrus deodara deodar cedar 91 Populus tremuloides quaking aspen 65 Celtis laevigata sugarberry 13 Populus trichocarpa black cottonwood 54 Cercis canadensis redbud 42 Prunus mexicana Mexican plum 50 Chamaecyparis lawsoniana Port-Orford-cedar 12 Prunus serotina black cherry 2 Chamaecyparis nootkatensis Alaska-cedar 30 Pseudotsuga menziesii Douglas-fir 7 Chamaecyparis thyoides Atlantic white-cedar 77 Quercus alba white oak 21 Cinnamomum camphora camphor-tree 82 Quercus rubra northern red oak 5 Cupressus arizonica Arizona cypress 40 Quercus virginiana live oak 39 Cupressus sempervirens Italian cypress 14 Robinia pseudoacacia black locust 26 Dalbergia retusa cocobolo 16 Salix nigra black willow 59 Dalbergia sissoo sissoo 44 Samanea saman monkey-pod 69 Ebenopsis ebano Texas-ebony 56 Sassafras albidum sassafras 3 Fagus grandifolia American beech 19 Sequoia sempervirens California redwood 27 Ficus carica common fig 34 Sideroxylon lanuginosum gum bumelia 75 Fraxinus americana white ash 35 Swietenia macrophylla Honduras mahogany 11 Fraxinus berlandierana Berlandier ash 86 Tabebuia spp. ipe 37 Gleditsia triacanthos honey-locust 8 Taxodium distichum bald-cypress 57 Grevillea robusta silky-oak 68 Tectona grandis teak 87 Juglans cinerea butternut 81 Thuja occidentalis northern white-cedar 15 Juglans nigra black walnut 74 Thuja plicata western redcedar 6 Juniperus ashei Ashe juniper 10 Tilia americana basswood 32 Juniperus virginiana eastern redcedar 25 Triadica sebifera Chinese tallowtree 1 Khaya ivorensis African mahogany 31 Tsuga canadensis eastern hemlock 73 Larix occidentalis western larch 4 Ulmus americana American elm 66 Liquidambar styraciflua sweetgum 22 Ulmus crassifolia cedar elm 79 Liriodendron tulipifera yellow-poplar 24 Ulmus parvifolia Chinese elm 55 Lysiloma sabicu sabicu 60 Ulmus rubra slippery elm

Gary Green, IWCS Wood Specimen Kit Chairman Revised April 2012


Wood Meets

2012 AustralAsian Annual MeetingBusselton, Western Australia

14-21 October, 2012A meeting you seriously need to place on your calendar. Busselton, located in the south west of Western Australia, is in the Top 10 plant diversity areas of the world. The town is built around the Vasse and Wonnerup Wetlands, listed

as Wetlands of International Importance for its water birds. Planned coach trips will take you inland and along the coast between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin.

You will see karri (Eucalyptus diversicolor), tuart (Eucalyptus gomphocephala), and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests. Plus more—whales, wildflowers, and a train trip on the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere.

Hosted by Charles and Lalleen Broadbent, retired forestry educational officer, and the rapidly growing group of Western Australian IWCS members.

Phone: (08) 9752 2111 or Email: [email protected] for more information.

IWCS Annual General Meeting Springfield, Illinois

June 27 – July 1, 2012As of this writing we are starting to finalize plans for this meeting. An order form for Tee shirts or Polo shirts was included was included in the last issue. Shirts will not be available for purchase at the meeting, so be sure to order

in advance.Harlan Palm, President of the National Walnut Growers Council, is Wednesday night’s speaker. He will give a

presentation on Thousand Cankers Disease. On Thursday, Guy Sternberg will give a presentation on the oaks of the

world. Guy is one of the founders of the Starhill Forest Arboretum of Illinois College. He will lead us on a tour of

the Arboretum after lunch on Friday. A sign up sheet will be at the registration desk and members can carpool. You may stay until dark for

those attending the tour. Costs will be requested at the meeting for those wishing to attend. For those staying and members wishing to stay at the meeting Friday evening,

Jerry Zipprich will be conducting an auction where members can sell their tools, antique tools or crafts, up to 5 items with 20% of the proceeds going to IWCS and 80% going to the member from the sale of the items. We are planning on having a special guest to do a turning demonstration that will amaze you. There will also be tours for the ladies and a ladies program. We are still

looking for ladies to do classes. Ed Hearst is looking for help in the wood identification and technical program which will be running four sessions a day on Thursday

and Friday.

Great Lakes Fall Region Meeting15 September, 2012

I want to inform you of an upcoming

regional meeting that I will be holding in September. This will give people time to plan and set this date aside. I have listed below the information that I have avail-

able at this time for the meeting.

Fall Regional MeetingDate: September 15, 2012

Location: Bob & Judy Chastain Ladoga, IN

Other details will be announcedin future issues of World of Wood.

John Burris, Regional Trustee

Change to meeting date Spring Meeting

North West ChapterThe meeting will now be held on

June 23. It will be held at the Adna, Wash-

ington Grange Hall. The previous date was May 19.


International Wood Collectors Societyc/o Bill & Myrt Cockrell2300 West Rangeline RoadGreencastle, IN 46123-7875

Book Review by Paul Van Rijckevorsel #8060 L

Prst. Std.U.S. Postage

PAIDIndpls, IN 462Permit No. 8

It is overdue to pay some attention to the sappi tree spotting series that has existed for some fifteen years, and that is rather unique. The series likely started out as some kind of public relations effort by Sappi, a company that has its roots in South Africa, but that deals worldwide in cellulose, paper pulp and paper (http://www.sappi.com). Appar-ently the company decided to pay tribute to South Africa and its trees; and they came up with a new angle to do so. They gave orders to design books that were as accessible as possible (avoiding all complicated botanical terms), were copiously il-lustrated (in full colour) and printed on heavy paper (115 or 135 grams paper produced by Sappi, thus also advertising some of their top grades of paper). The series initially ran to four books, published by Jacana (http://www.jacana.co.za) between 1997 and 2000, all paperbacks (say, octavo), luxuriously in colour (and heavy!), each book dedicated to one area. These initial books had big intro-ductory parts, intended to give a user-friendly introduction, but then treated the trees of that particular region (including the occasional palm and some bushes), arranged by theme, devoting four pages per

The sappi tree spotting series: an overdue appreciation.species. The second of these pages was taken up by a watercolour painting of the whole tree, supple-mented by a small line-drawing of a relevant feature (leaf, fruit, thorn, etc). On the facing page were details on where to find the tree, and how to recognize it. The other two pages contained further detail, although in any other book they could probably have stood alone, as being adequate in their own right. These pages contained a distribution map, a whole tree photograph, a picture of the wood (albeit a very small picture), with sometimes also an object made from the wood (in even fewer cases only an object), as well as a description of wood properties, a listing of relations between the tree and animals, and uses by hu-mans. Also, a diagram of how the tree behaves year round (times for leaf, flower and fruit), and water-colours of some tree details, again with accompanying descriptions. Although aimed at local users, and hardly must-have items, these were really nice books to have, even if only to see a new approach to presenting trees.In 2012, these four books are still in print (with a fifth added), but it appears that, unfortunately, any

edition produced in 2004, or later, has given up the initial format. These latterday editions only devote two pages per species, and although these pages include most of the previous content, it is at a smaller size (a small font, and small pictures), they no longer include the wood picture and description of wood properties. Of course this means that the books are not so heavy, and can be offered cheaper, but although they are still nice, they no longer rouse this feeling of being really something special.

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