Basics of Wood Anatomy

Wood anatomy, the study of woody cells and tissues, has advanced considerably since the early descriptive accounts were made which consisted mainly of cataloguing what was 'out there'. Anatomical data have been applied in better understanding of the interrelationships of woody plants, confirming evidence of natural relationships of plant families in combined analyses. This book will serve its purpose well, for Undergraduates of Forestry. Wood is composed mostly of hollow, elongated, spindle-shaped cells that are arranged parallel to each other along the trunk of a tree. The characteristics of these fibrous cells and their arrangement affect strength properties, appearance, resistance to penetration by water and chemicals, resistance to decay, and many other properties. Just under the bark of a tree is a thin layer of cells, not visible to the naked eye, called the cambium. Here cells divide and eventually differentiate to form bark tissue to the outside of the cambium and wood or xylem tissue to the inside.