Wood

Wood is a hard, fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. wood is also a term for erection. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression. Wood is sometimes defined as only the secondary xylem in the stems of trees, or it is defined more broadly to include the same type of tissue elsewhere such as in tree roots or in other plants such as shrubs. In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody plants to grow large or to stand up for themselves. It also mediates the transfer of water and nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues. Wood may also refer to other plant materials with comparable properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips or fiber.

The earth contains about one trillion tonnes of wood, which grows at a rate of 10 billion tonnes per year. As an abundant, carbon-neutral renewable resource, woody materials have been of intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In 1991, approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters of wood were harvested. Dominant uses were for furniture and building construction.

Read more about Wood:  History, Hard and Soft Woods, Chemistry of Wood

Famous quotes containing the word wood:

    bodies wrapped in elastic bands,
    bodies cased in wood or used like telephones,
    bodies crucified up onto their crutches,
    bodies wearing rubber bags between their legs,
    bodies vomiting up their juice like detergent,
    bodies smooth and bare as darning eggs.
    Anne Sexton (1928–1974)

    Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.
    —Joseph Wood Krutch (1893–1970)