Wood is probably the first construction material used by man (Petrucci, 1973). Wood is unique in several ways: it may be obtained in relatively large quantities from a renewable resource; it may be manipulated with relatively simple technology; it is a poor conductor of heat and electricity; and it comes in a variety of patterns and colours.
As a construction material, wood has some relative disadvantages, the major ones being - it is heterogeneous and anisotropic; it is vulnerable to attack by biological agents; it is combustible; it undergoes dimensional change according to its moisture content; and it has very limited natural dimensions.
Wood is a very versatile material that could be sawn, crushed and reconstituted, sliced or peeled, seasoned and treated chemically to produce a large number of products of considerable economic benefit to man.
Timbers from tropical forests are unique due to the huge diversity of colours, densities, and chemical and mechanical properties. Tropical trees take a very long time to achieve commercial dimensions. This, coupled with the special utilization attributes of the various species, demand that more importance should be given to optimising the use (and value) of the timber that is harvested.