FORESTRY 350

COURSE TITLE: Wood as a Raw Material

INSTRUCTOR: John E. Phelps

A.  Catalog Description:

Structure, identification, and properties of wood.  Important species, 
significance of properties to end-use and significance of wood to the
environment.

B. Objectives:

To acquaint the student with fundamental anatomical, chemical and physical
properties of wood.  This will give students in the management curriculum a
better understanding of wood as a material and how variation in its
properties might be influenced by management decisions.

General Approach

Lectures will cover the properties of  wood and the different types of woods (reaction wood, juvenile wood, etc.) that occur in trees.  Lectures will also show how environmental factors influence properties of woods.  Laboratories will introduce the student to identification of woods from domestic and foreign hardwood trees, and softwood species.

C. Topic Outline:

Introduction - outline of course and examination schedule
Tree Growth
Macroscopic Characteristics of wood
Wood Chemistry
Structure of Softwoods
Structure of Hardwoods
Juvenile Wood
Reaction Wood
Branch Wood
Bark Structure
Wood and Water
Specific Gravity and Density
Mechanical Properties of Wood
Wood Deterioration
Silvicultural Practices and Wood Properties


D. Textbook:

Haygreen, J. G. and J. L. Bowyer.  1996.  Forest Products and Wood Science:  An Introduction, Third Edition.  Iowa State University Press. 
(Chapters 1 through 12 will be covered)

E.   Grading:

90 -100 - A
80 - 89 - B
70 - 79 - C
60 - 69 - D. 

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