The book is a fundamental reference source on reaction wood for wood
scientists and technologists, plant biologists, silviculturists, forest
ecologists, and anyone involved in the growing of trees and the
processing of wood. It brings together our current understanding of all
aspects of reaction wood, and is the first book to discuss both
compression wood and tension wood.
Trees produce reaction wood to maintain the vertical orientation of
their stems and the optimum angle of each branch. They achieve this by
laying down fibre cell walls in which differences in physical and
chemical structure from those of normal fibres are expressed as
differential stresses across the stem or branch. This process, while of
obvious value for the survival of the tree, causes serious problems for
the utilisation of timber. Timber derived from trees containing
significant amounts of reaction wood is subject to dimensional
instability on drying, causing twisting, bending and splitting. It is
also difficult to work as timber, and for the pulp and paper industry
the cost of removing the increased amount of lignin in compression wood
is substantial. This has both practical and economic consequences for
industry.
Understanding the factors controlling reaction wood formation and its
effect on wood structure is therefore fundamental to our understanding
of the adaptation of trees to their environment and to the sustainable
use of wood.
The topics covered include:
-Morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of reaction wood
-Cell-wall polymers in reaction wood and their biosynthesis
-Changes in tree proteomes during reaction wood formation
-The biomechanical action and biological functions of reaction wood
- Physical and mechanical properties of reaction wood from the scale of
cell walls to planks
-The detection and characterisation of compression wood
-Effects of reaction wood on the performance of wood and wood-based
products
- Commercial implications of reaction wood and the influence of forest
management on its formation
