Glossary

For the purposes of the National Forest Policy Statement, old growth forest has been defined as "Forest that is ecologically mature and has been subject to negligible unnatural disturbance such as logging, roading and clearing". The definition focuses on forests in which the upper stratum or overstorey is in the late mature to over mature growth phases

Common classification for woods with large pores in the grain. Also known as coarse textured.

A truss where the webs are open and visible

Oregon Maple is popular in veneer production for furniture and cabinetry. Its highly figured wood is sought after for musical instruments such as guitar bodies, stringed instruments and piano frames, as well as salad bowls. The Indigenous Lakwungen people of Vancouver Island knew it as the ‘Paddle Tree’ and created paddles and spindle wheels from its wood.

These materials are those based on carbon compounds. They include sawn timber, reconstituted and engineered wood products and plastics.

A term used to describe wood that has been dried in a ventilated oven at 102C to 105C until there is no additional loss of weight. Weight - The weight of wood when all the water has been driven off by heating the wood in an oven.

An allowance added to the nominal dimension of an unseasoned board to compensate for shrinkage during drying.

The end of timber that is unsupported by rack sticks and extends beyond the ends of most pieces in an air drying stack, rack, pack or unit of timber

A unit of timber boards

A strip of wood or another material that is placed between rows of timber or other wood products in a rack. Rack sticks are placed at right angles to the long axis of the timber to permit air to circulate between the layers. . Also referred to as "sticker" or "stripper".

An arch whose curve is a parabola.

Flooring made up of small, matching pieces of timber laid on a substrate in a geometric patterns.

A pressed sheet material made from particles of timber or other ligno-cellulosic material bonded with synthetic resin and/or other organic binder

A wall between two adjoining living quarters in a multi-family dwelling.

A surface change due to age or use, such as the fine oxidation of copper or the weathering of wood

Pigmented emulsified creosote, a wood preservative.

Converting a log into veneer by rotary cutting.

A code where the requirements are expressed as objectives to be achieved

A change in the properties of wood which can occur during drying when stressing exceeds the elastic limit. Permanent set prevents normal shrinkage of the timber and can lead to more obvious defects such as casehardening and honeycombing.

The ease with which a fluid flows through a porous material (wood) in response to pressure.

A column or post supporting a superstructure such as floor bearers, beams, etc., or an internal support for a bridge.

A structural timber driven deep into soil or rock to provide a secure foundation for structures.

A connection free to rotate like a hinge.

The small soft core occurring in the centre of a tree trunk, branch, twig, or log.

Timber converted so that the growth rings meet the face in any part at an angle of less than 45 degrees. Also called backsawn timber.

An intensively managed stand of trees of either native or introduced species, created by the regular placement of seedlings or seed

A horizontal framing member laid flat.

Straight up and down, perfectly vertical.

One layer of a laminated sheet.

An assembled product made up of veneers of timber glued together so that the grain of alternate layers is at right angles.

A patch of bark or gum (kino) completely or partially enclosed in the wood.

A round timber column.

A chemical pretreating agent used to improve the drying behaviour of timber.

A planar frame where the lateral and bending forces are transferred by moment resisting connections from the portal rafters to the columns.

A column or a free standing axially loaded compression member, usually vertical

A structural frame with repetitive columns and beams.

A structure similar to a kiln that is sometimes used in the initial stages of drying.

Any substance that is effective in preventing , for a reasonable period of time, the development and action of fungi, borer and insect attack in wood.

Surfacing of both broad faces of green rough sawn timber intended to permit drying by a schedule more severe than the prescribed schedule for rough sawn timber, achieving faster drying and fewer drying defects.

A process sometimes carried out before commencing a drying schedule. The timber is subjected to atmospheric pressure steam. It is often carried out to fix or enhance colour.

A psychrometric chart or psychrometric table relates dry bulb temperature, wet bulb depression and humidity.

One of a series of horizontal framing timbers supporting the rafters or spanning between trusses or frames and supporting the roof. Purlins usually span at right angles to the slope of the roof

A method for building racks where alternative boards in alternative layers are kept flush with alternate ends. This gives a checkerboard arrangement at the ends of the rack. It is also called topping & tailing.  

A method of slicing veneers whereby the average inclination of the growth rings to the wide face is greater than 45 degrees.

Timber in which the average inclination of the growth rings to the wide face is not less than 45 degrees.

Timber in which the average inclination of the growth rings to the wide face is not less than 45 degrees.

A unit of timber where each layer is separated and spaced for drying with rack sticks.

A combination of guides and supports that help produce good stick alignment and square sides and ends in hand built racks.  

One of a series of roof support timbers that provide principal support for the roofing material. Rafters usually span parallel to the slope of the roof.

Roughened surface of timber and other wood products, particularly softwood, after planning, caused by the projection of early wood or latewood above the surface.