| Trees are amazing pieces of nature. They stand | | | | some time in our young life to determine the age of |
| upright hundreds of feet into the air with such a small | | | | the backyard tree. |
| footprint, supporting a very large canopy. At the | | | | Trees grown in the tropics like yellowheart or |
| core of this incredible engineering feat is a group of | | | | bloodwood show virtually no growth rings, because |
| small elongated cells that run parallel to each other | | | | their climate encourages growth all year. There are |
| along the trunk. Studying the characteristics and | | | | rarely well-defined annual rings in any tropical wood |
| growth of these cells can explain much about the | | | | species, at least the ones I've used. Bulletwood may |
| wood strength, its overall appearance and the | | | | be a great example of this with no visible growth |
| amount of shrinkage to expect in the drying process... | | | | rings and only a very dense and very linear grain |
| Cross Section of a tree: | | | | pattern. |
| A tree trunk has a number of well defined bands | | | | It is quite obvious then to understand how a tree's |
| from the bark on the outer rim, to the sapwood just | | | | origin and growing environment might be used to |
| inside the bark and the heartwood that forms the | | | | predict a woods characteristics and appearance. |
| rest of the core. The amount of sapwood relative to | | | | Woods from temperate climates often exhibits |
| heartwood can vary significantly tree species to tree | | | | contrasting bands of earlywood and latewood that |
| species and there can be significant colour variation | | | | create strong vibrant grain patterns. Think of woods |
| between the two. | | | | like BC fir and common northern red oak. |
| Walnut is the best example with dark purple | | | | The amount of earlywood vs latewood will also |
| heartwood and almost white sapwood, something | | | | affect a softwood's or hardwood's density as the |
| that might be important to know if you want to buy | | | | earlywood's more porous design will create weak |
| wood online and ensure that what you get is what | | | | pockets in its structure. As you move further north in |
| you want. | | | | a tree species growth range its density typically |
| New wood grows in a thin layer between the | | | | increases as the growing season diminishes |
| sapwood and the bark. It is called the cambium. Cell | | | | suggesting that a shorter growing season as well as |
| division builds wood fibre and causes the diameter of | | | | the specifics of a tree's biology can have an impact |
| the tree trunk to expand creating the distinctive | | | | on its physical characteristics. |
| fissures that we are familiar with in the bark of larger | | | | These are generalities though as it is pretty easy to |
| trees. | | | | find contradictions to these basic concepts. Keep in |
| Influence of Climate | | | | mind though that quite often an understanding of the |
| Often wood grows in different bands around the | | | | sapwood vs heartwood and earlywood vs. latewood |
| tree as a function of variations in weather between | | | | is used as a key tool in wood identification. |
| the spring and the fall. Less dense rings of wood that | | | | Visit 'thewoodbox.com/wood' for further information |
| form early in the season are referred to as | | | | on a specific species and a larger discussion about |
| 'earlywood' and darker thinner denser bands of wood | | | | wood, its toxicity, elasticity and more; help to |
| evolve in the late part of the growing season | | | | become a more knowledgeable consumer if you'd like |
| creating 'latewood'. This creates the growth rings | | | | to buy wood or lumber online. |
| that we all know and love, and probably counted at | | | | |