timber

The mill pictured is at Fideris, in Switzerland. Timber is processed for commercial use either by pulping in readiness for making into paper or by sawing into planks of varying length and thickness for building and furniture making. Bark that is stripped off and not pulped may be recycled as garden mulch.

Wooden structures usually need to be jointed at the corners. Frame joints are used in assembling structures and box joints are used where the pieces of timber are wide.

Types of hard and soft woods and also manufactured boards, such as chipboard and MDF. Hardwoods come from broadleaf trees and softwoods from evergreens.

Stocks of tropical hardwood planks in a timber yard, awaiting shipment for use in furniture or building.

Wood used in construction, furniture, and paper pulp. Hardwoods include tropical mahogany, teak, ebony, rosewood, temperate oak, elm, beech, and eucalyptus. All except eucalyptus are slow-growing, and world supplies are almost exhausted. Softwoods comprise the conifers (pine, fir, spruce, and larch), which are quick to grow and easy to work but inferior in quality of grain. White woods include ash, birch, and sycamore; all have light-coloured timber, are fast-growing, and can be used as veneers on cheaper timber.