the meaning of woods

8/3/2019 The Meaning of Woods

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Woods

Definition: the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

Knock on wood

Meaning

This phrase is used by people who rap their knuckles on a piece of wood hoping to stave off

bad luck. In the UK, the phrase 'touch wood' is used - often jokingly by tapping one's head.

The phrases are sometimes spoken when a person is already experiencing some good fortune

and hope that it will continue - for example "I've been winning on every race - touch wood".

Origin

The derivation may be the association that wood and trees have with good spirits in

mythology, or with the Christian cross. It used to be considered good luck to tap trees to letthe wood spirits within know you were there. Traditions of this sort still persist in Ireland.

See also - the darling buds of May.

The British version of the phrase - 'touch wood', predates the American 'knock on wood' and

was itself preceded by a Latin version - 'absit omen', meaning 'far be that omen from us'. This

dates from at least the early 17th century, when it is quoted by John Heywood in his

collections of proverbs. It isn't clear when 'touch wood' began to be used as a token of good

fortune but it must have been by 1850, when the academic correspondence magazine Notes

and Queries published this:

There probably is some old English expression for averting evil, but it does not come to

mind; "I touch wood," "Bar omen," "Bar ill-luck," seem clumsy.

'Knock on wood' is known from the early 20th century; for example, The Indianapolis Star,

September 1908:

"He is a promising looking youngster, and once we get on velvet (knock on wood!) the New

York fans will get a chance to see him in action. When that time comes (knock on wood

again!) it is more than likely that he will not disappoint."

Note: 'on velvet' means in a position of advantage, especially regarding betting on sporting

events.

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Knocking on wood

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Knocking on wood (US), or to touch wood (UK, Egypt, Ireland, India, Australia, France,

Hong Kong, Singapore and Sweden) refers to the the tradition of literally touching/knockingon wood, or merely stating that you are, in order to avoid "tempting fate" after making a

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favourable observation, a boast, or speaking of one's own death. It is usually used in the hope

that a good thing will continue to occur after it has been acknowledged. So, for example, one

might say: "The rain looks like it's holding off, knock on wood," or "I have never had to use

my gun before, knock on wood." Or one might say, "I'm feeling much better now, touch

wood." and actually touch a nearby wooden table.

In some countries, such as Spain, it is traditional to literally touch wood after an event occurs

that is considered to bring bad luck, such as crossing paths with a black cat or walking under

a ladder or noticing its Friday the 13th. This is usually done when there's no salt nearby to

spill over your shoulder, which is considered the "traditional" way of avoiding the bad luck

caused by those situations.

In Italy, "tocca ferro" (touch iron) is used, especially after seeing a nun.[1].

History

Early cultures ascribed spiritual or magical properties to living materials, perceiving life as an

investment of divine or mystical energy and associating the spirits of plants and trees with

Nymphs, Fauns and other mythical representations.[2] A living material cut then dies -

whether leather or wood, the magical and mystical quality property is lost. Emptied of spirit,

such materials were seen as potential vessels for spirits of less beneficial form - fae seen as

tricksters and tormenters of mankind, such as Puck from William Shakespeare's play

depicting common beliefs of the time.[3] A physical striking sound against this dead vessel

material was hoped to drive away any malevolent spirits that might have overheard a spoken

reference to misfortune - thus protecting the speaker.


Published Apr 6 2010 by The Wood Heat Organization Inc., Archived Apr 6 2010

The Meaning of Wood Heating: In their own words

by Wendy Milne

This is part of a doctoral thesis by Wendy Milne of Ontario, Canada, who studied at the

University of Guelph rural studies department, in a program dealing with sustainable rural

communities. Wendy was developing the idea of energy literacy, which has to do with how

average people manage their energy use, how it affects their lives and how much control they

have over their energy choices.

Most people who use conventional fuels for home heating have a relationship with the

process that consists of paying the fuel bill and adjusting the thermostat. They know little

about the system and are helpless if anything goes wrong. Wood heat is different and what

follows is the most thorough exploration of that difference we've seen. JG

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Transforming Power in Rural Communities:

Possibilities for an Energy Literacy

Wendy Milne Doctoral Thesis 2003

Chapter 7: Case Study on Wood Energy: Heating Rural Homes

The unique thing about wood energy is that you are so personally involved in the

performance of it. And everything about wood burning - especially in our type of forested

rural community - from the handling of the wood to keeping the fires going to chimney

cleaning is done by the user. [ a participant in this research project]

Introduction

This chapter is the second of two case studies on the use of renewable energy in rural

communities. This case study focuses on the use of wood energy for household heating andcooking. [the first case study involved families that produce their own electricity off-grid]

Exploring the use of wood energy in rural communities provides stories that span the past, the

present and hopes for a sustainable future. In the process of researching this case study I sized

up a few woodpiles, warmed myself by a variety of stoves, and entered the daily lives of rural

wood energy users. As noted, these stories are very different from the dominant narrative told

in developed countries about "fire's removal as a vital force" (Pyne, 2001:138). These

narratives show that for some rural communities fire has remained a vital force in both

household and cultural experience.

Learning in Context: Exploring the Landscape of Wood Energy

The stories of twenty-six people are woven into the narrative of this case study. These

twenty-six people represented fifteen households, two wood stove retailers, and a wood

energy specialist. The fifteen households consisted of eleven couples and four single women.

In addition, given that all of the solar energy households reported on in the previous case

study use wood energy, many of their observations have been included in this case study.

Participants lived in a variety of rural settings. Two households were in a village, two were

on small rural lots, one was on a twelve acre property, one on a thirty-five acre property, and

nine were on properties ranging from 100 acres to 450 acres.

Three families kept more than one building heated with wood through the winter. Two

families live on the family homestead and woodlot. Half of the participants were born in the

area, while the other half had moved to the area from other rural and urban areas, between

twenty-five and thirty years ago.

For all but one of the participants wood energy was the primary heating source for their

homes. Four of these households used wood as a secondary indoor cooking fuel, and almost

all of the households used wood for an outdoor cooking fuel. Depending on the year, five of

the households also used wood energy for maple syrup production for both personal use andfarm income.

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My Mom got up - and if it was a real cold night they took turns to put another block on the

stove.

In turn, a number of participants felt that poverty led to lifestyles that were sustainable in that

"we were taught to conserve everything because we didn't have anything" and "we did not

waste a thing" and "you heated with what you cut and ate what you grew". Again, one

participant noted that: "even though we were poor we did not know any different".

People who moved into the area related how their experience of poverty was also linked to

their initial motivation for using wood energy.

We were also dirt poor so whatever was there when we arrived we were pretty well forced to

use. And it was also part of the culture. It was about learning this whole thing. Who had ever

thought about how they heated their house before - I had never considered it.

Today the economy of energy continues to influence people's choice to heat with wood. Allthe participants noted that part of the motivation for using wood energy is that it is a cheaper

heating fuel. One participant argued: "It makes economic sense in this area. I can heat my

house for about $500 a year". What many participants appreciated about the economics of

heating with wood is that "I know how much heating is going to cost me every year" and

"there are no surprises on cost". In fact some even suggested that the cost of wood heating

has been consistent for over a decade. A participant reflects: "we heat the house for basically

the same money that we heated the house 15 years ago - it is not costing anymore or any

less".

The wood stove retailers identified that it is the economics of a cheaper fuel that bringspeople into their stores. However, as one stove owner comments:

Once they have burned that stove for about a month and half - they would probably burn that

stove for the rest of their life because it is addictive. There is something about it that is

difficult to put into words. I dont think people truly understand what it is.

All of the participants acknowledged they would continue to use wood heat even if it was

more expensive than other forms of heating. The use of wood energy therefore is not as much

a matter of poverty, as much as it is a choice based on preference. Part of this preference

stems from the less tangible benefits of heating with wood captured in this participantcomment:

I think for around here where wood is available and cheap - cheap definitely comes into it. It

is the best way. Just on another level it is so much more comforting - so much warmer. It is a

deeper experience to have wood in your house than to be heating with electricity.

In short the motivations for heating with wood are tied to the benefits associated with this

energy source.

Most of the participants in this case study reported that wood energy provides a "deeper

experience" that enhances quality of life and possibilities for learning. Using wood energy

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results in a number of personal benefits that offer some insight into requirements for

generating wider citizen interest in energy sustainability.

The themes that emerged through the interviews that help to shape an alternative view of

energy are:

* the landscape of energy

* sense of control from hands on energy source

* trading labour for personal and environmental health

The landscape of energy

In discussing wood energy use participants painted a picture that situated their homes within

the landscape of the local environment. In painting this picture participants portrayed a

domestic space enhanced by the qualities of heating with wood, the local forest as theresource for that energy, and their woodpile as a threshold space between forest and home.

To all but a few of the participants the experience of using wood energy provided a sense of

"physical comfort" and "emotional comfort". The "quality of the heat" wood energy provides

was unanimously recognized as important to people's "quality of life" during the winter

months. Describing why wood energy provides comfort proved difficult for participants, but

it was generally compared to experiences people had with other heating sources. Some of the

ways used to describe wood heating were: "there is less temperature gradient compared to

other forms"; "there is no noise"; "wood is the best kind of heat there is - it goes right into

your bones"; and, "I find the wood a very comfortable heat".

The emotional comfort that people expressed, particularly for those families that had a wood

stove in their primary living space, was related to the physical and symbolic place that the

wood stove holds as the "centre of the home". This impression was summarized as: "I think it

is that kind of heart connection to having a warm centre in your house". It was repeated by a

number of participants as indicated by this comment:

I like having a radiant heat source in the middle of the house. You can dry laundry on it - and

toast yourself on it. Even when it is not on I am standing in front of it to get warm.

This relationship that people had with their heating appliance extended to considering

woodstoves like a piece of favorite furniture. The narratives offered numerous stories of

moving stoves from house to house and across the country. One woman talked about getting

her cookstove in her separation agreement. She described when she first saw her old

President cookstove:

We had put an ad for a cookstove in the paper. This guy drove us to his house to look at it. I

thought this thing should sing and dance. It is gorgeous - the top has cracks but still it is

great.

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Participant's image of wood energy extended beyond the household and into the surrounding

landscape. A number of the participants described how the forested landscape of the area was

brought into their homes through the use of wood heat. The narratives told a story of how

wood from the local forests makes its way to the woodpiles and eventually the stoves of rural

homes. People talked about how their survival through the winter is dependent on nature, andhow this dependence connects them to nature in a unique way.

Being connected to the forest is a way that many participants measure their quality of life.

Almost all of the participants described how much they enjoy being in the bush and that this

is an important part of their lifestyle. In particular, close to half of the participants who cut all

or a portion their own firewood felt they connected to nature in a profound way through their

wood energy processing and burning. One woman described her relationship to the bush this

way:

I love it. I love living here. I love walking in the bush. I grew up in it - it is calm and peaceful

and there are animals out there.

This connection to nature comes to full fruition in the way participants speak about their

woodpiles. In many ways the woodpile acts as a threshold space between the bush and the

home. Having to go outside to get wood was described by one male participant in this way:

To get the wood you go outside you see the stars - having a woodshed outside too connects

you a bit more. I am intimately acquainted with some of these pieces of wood - and I see them

coming into the house and I remember the whole thing. That is the one that jammed up in the

splitter and I had to get the chainsaw and cut it and weaken it a bit.

The woodpile and the woodshed outside most homes in the area were visual reminders of the

dependence on wood for heating. One participant talked about driving around comparing

people's woodpiles, while another participant summed up his woodpile with this description:

I find myself staring at my woodpile going, yeh!!! You know. Cutting it, splitting it and

getting off your own property there is quite a bit of satisfaction in that. I can't explain it. I

guess there is a record of your accomplishment that is not wiped out quickly. It is slowly used

up - it sort of gives you that money in the bank feeling. There it is all waiting to be used and

it is all yours.

Sense of control from hands on energy source.

All of the participants identified that an important part of using wood energy is that it allows

control over their own heating and cooking needs. This sense of control was expressed as

being experienced on both a personal and political level. On a personal level participants

identified that wood energy "insured self sufficiency", "increased independence", "brings

sense of control", and "provides safety". Participants expressed concern about ongoing and

extended electric grid power outages. Having wood heating "eliminates concerns about

power outages". As one participant expressed it:

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It is nice having control over our heating. You can stay warm and still cook on it during the

power outages.

A woodstove retailer also mentioned that people like the sense of control that wood energy

allows. She stated:

Why are people passionate about wood heating? I think a lot of it has to do with a sense of

control. I mean it is something that you do have so much control over. There is a real

satisfaction that comes from that.

This sense of control extended into the larger politics and economics of energy production. A

number of participants felt that the unregulated nature of wood energy production and

distribution, and the ability to produce a portion of energy needs off their own property,

contributed to being able to insure continued energy needs whatever the larger political

events. As one participant expressed:

I am not sure it is just the comfort of wood heat - I know it just feels great to be independent.

I know if things went to hell in a handbasket - although it would take me a long time if I had

to do everything by hand - I could survive.

In many ways being a wood energy users allows people to operate on the margins of

dominant energy control. Another participant testified: "I do love being protected from mega

business controlling prices of energy - I really love that". And another woman echoed the

ability to have some control over choice of where money for energy costs is directed.

I would use it because of the quality of the heat - also I think there is a big money grab goingon with hydro. And I am really concerned about that and I will do anything not to give them

anymore money than I absolutely have to.

Trading labour for personal and environmental health

Most participants viewed the use of wood energy as a part of their high maintenance rural

lifestyles. These high maintenance lifestyles included vegetable gardens, animal and livestock

care, property upkeep, snow removal, long distance travel and managing annual wood supply.

There was considerable discussion in households about the manual labour involved in

managing a wood supply and maintaining a fire through the winter. Primarily, balancing the

benefits of handling wood with the costs of using wood energy was measured in quality of

life terms as opposed to direct cost terms.

Wood energy is part of the whole lifestyle thing - our lifestyle management. If we were to try

to figure out the price of every tomato or carrot that we brought to the table in terms of how

we'd worked for it we probably would not have a garden.

However, participants largely see many personal benefits from using wood energy. Not only

does the labour of wood energy allow people to be outside, but the physical activity of

managing wood provides health benefits as well. As one woman described:

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It is a couple of days of work to get wood piled. And everyday I load my woodbox. It is a lot

of work. I like the physical work. I am not one of those to go to they gym - well even if we had

one to go to. It is an upper body type of workout.

The health benefits of wood energy management were confirmed in the narratives of one

household. In this particular situation, a mother and daughter told me the story of the mother's

remarkable health change that was directly attributable to the labour involved in heating with

wood. Because of ailing health the mother went to live with her daughter, and her daughter's

husband and two children. The mother told the story of how she went from not having the

strength to vacuum to being the primary stacker, carrier and fire keeper for the household.

She reflected on how the maintenance of the wood "gave value to my work", "contributes to

the family" and "changed my life". Her daughter identified "it is empowering for her to

develop strength".

Participants also felt that the health benefits extended into the larger ecological landscape by

offsetting the environmental costs of other heating sources.

You need a source of heat - whether you get your source of heat from nuclear generator or

hydro dam or a tree something is going to suffer. Somewhere down the line something is

suffering for it. There is just less suffering from woodheat. I dont think you could sustain

woodburning in the city but I think it makes sense in a rural area.

Wood Energy and Rural Community Sustainability

The participants interviewed for this study lived on the Canadian Shield, in a rural area with a

mixed economy of forest based industries, small agricultural production, and the servicetrade. As the previous discussion identified the use of wood energy constituted a way of life

for the local and indigenous population, as well as for people who have relocated to the area

from other rural communities and urban centres.

The narratives suggested people's use of wood energy is strongly connected to their local

community and to their local landscape. All of the participants suggested that wood energy is

a significant factor in the continued sustainability of their rural community based on the way

it contributes in supporting social cohesion, providing some economic security, and

encouraging sustainable forestry practices.

Wood energy and the community

The common theme emerging from all of the interviews was that using a shared energy

source like wood has been instrumental in building a sense of community and linking

community members across differences. Participants contributed this connection to that fact

that,

everyone has something in common. It does bring a common factor to a community that

everyone is burning with wood - everybody knows what it is like. You talk about piling wood.

There is quite a bit of talk around about it. Because it is a yearly event - it is every year.

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Another participant confirmed this experience when she noted:

I think in a community of people who all use the same kind of energy - that there is a certain

understanding that goes with it. I think everybody loves woodheat.

Participants talked in terms of wood energy being the one thing in their community thatbridges class, gender, race, and philosophical divisions. Some of the connections mentioned

occurred between locals and newcomers, loggers and environmentalists, traditional and non-

traditional lifestyles, and women and men. Part of this connection comes from the fact that

wood energy is rivaled only by the weather as an everyday topic of casual conversation.

Conversation across life choice divisions are sparked by questions such as: "Have you got

your wood in yet?"; "How is the woodpile doing?", and "Where did you get your wood this

year?".

One participant discussed how after living in the area for thirty years, and still being

considered a newcomer, that wood was one way to make connections across this divide. Hecommented:

Wood links us in a lot of different ways. In conversation and common understanding and it is

one of the ways we have of a more solid connection with the farming community. It is a

whole lot of exchange of knowledge and understanding between cultures.

This common understanding about wood energy does more than link present day

conversation. Participants who moved to the area in the last thirty years argued that wood

energy bridges the past and the present. Some of the comments that reflected this aspect of

wood energy are: "I think it does link you in with the past a bit and to the older people; " Itdoes give us something to talk about with the people who settled here before us; and You

get a certain amount of respect from the older people for heating with wood.

One woman commented on this aspect of wood heat:

I think the local people like the idea that other people are carrying on those traditions. It is a

tradition - it is not just getting cheap energy or exercise or the environment - it is also a

tradition. I think people like to see that continued in this area.

Wood energy is part of the culture, language and story telling of the area. One of the sayings I

heard numerous times in the interviews was: "did you hear the one about wood heating you

four times: when you cut it, when you split it, when you stack it, and when you burn it". A

couple of participants also recalled the skit that the local theatre group did about how you can

tell a lot about a man by his woodpile. It goes something like this: the wood pile leaning to

the left is a socialist, the John Birch woodpile is all white, and the guy who burns 24 inch

wood is the guy with the inadequacy issues.

A woodstove retailer recognized that story telling is just a part of her business.

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People are passionate about heating with wood. Its wonderful the stories that we hear over

the sales counter at the store. I never ever tire of hearing - men and women - talk about their

growing up experiences around the cookstove. Icestorm stories are the best.

Wood heating is passed on from generation to generation in this rural area and some suggest

that telling these stories is another way that people can retain their rural identity.

Certainly some of our children are moving into old houses and they are also cutting with

wood and heating with wood. My kids complained about doing firewood but it is part of their

life. They like to tell people in the city about doing firewood. They enjoy it - it is one of their

stories.

Wood energy and rural economy

In the context of the forest-based community where this study was conducted participants

identified many economic benefits from the sustained use of wood energy. Direct financialbenefits of wood energy accrued to homeowners, wood fuel suppliers, and to a host of local

businesses with links to wood energy like woodstove retailers, and chainsaw sales and repair

services. The community in general benefited from wood energy when the direct costs of fuel

for heating remained within the local community instead of being exported to oil and gas

companies. The importance of wood energy in the local economy was summed up by the

reflection of this participant:

It is one part of the local economy - but it is a very important part. I dont import my wood. I

buy locally and I sell locally.

There are obvious economic benefits for the variety of small and large-scale wood fuel

suppliers in the area. Most participants reported purchasing their fuel wood from small

suppliers who are often processing their own wood and for one or two other families. It is

estimated that supplying wood in this manner amounts to an additional $1000 to $2000 for

their labour and resource. Larger scale fuel wood suppliers, while charging the same per cord,

sometimes include GST [a value added tax] and a tax receipt. The majority wood fuel

purchases are through cash transactions that allow more money to stay in circulation in the

local community. One participant contemplated the relevance of this situation:

Probably not having a receipt and no record of that transaction is also part of the localeconomy. If these guys had to pay taxes on the firewood they sold they probably wouldnt be

able to buy as many chains for the chainsaw.

The less obvious benefits from using wood energy for the community comes from direct fuel

costs staying in the area, unlike oil and gas costs that benefit other areas and corporations.

Participants indicated that their savings on fuel tend to circulate in the community for other

purchases. Those participants who cut wood off their own property also confirmed that their

savings on fuel are often spent locally. These participants saw the duel benefits of heating

with wood they have cut themselves as evident in this comment:

We are improving our own bush and improving our pocketbook.

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This link between personal, community and environmental benefits was expanded upon when

participants discussed local forestry practices.

Wood energy and sustainable forestry practices

Participants felt that, on the whole, the use of wood for residential heating contributed tosustainable forestry practices, and therefore to the sustainability of their communities. They

generally agreed that people who cut a portion of their own firewood, and suppliers who live

on the family homestead, practice sustainable forestry. Participants were not always sure of

the forestry practices of many woodfuel suppliers, in particular the large suppliers.

Participants reported that woodlots managed sustainably could produce firewood and some

lumber in perpetuity. One woman noted:

Well heating with wood makes sense because we can grow trees right here - this farm has

enough trees for a couple of families to last forever. We would not have made a dent in this174 acres of bush really.

Another participant agreed:

I am confident that a family of our size could live off this thirty-five acres - we could easily

live off it forever. I think we could even now and then harvest some lumber for sale.

Not only did most participants feel that fuelwood production could be carried in perpetuity

they also felt it helped the quality of the bush.

Trees die and you clean up the forest - it is garbage wood. You burn them. This is mostlywhat people are doing. Not selling good trees. I have enough wood on the farm - if I just took

dead trees - for 5 years of heating. But I have to cut it and move it and keep up with it.

Proper woodlot management is something "you learn from others. And learn about taking

care of a bush by being in it. By working in it". Participants who maintained their bush for

wood fuel and some lumber, and those who bought from small suppliers they where familiar

with, expressed that "it is family property - they are not going to go through and clearcut -

they would not think of it".

Many participants reported that they sought out woodfuel suppliers who showed respect forthe bush and for their work. Two households mentioned an elderly couple who work together

in their fuel wood supply business.

I enjoyed when my wood was delivered - this old couple - it was neat. They were older than I

am - into their 70s - and plugging away. And obviously proud of what they were doing. They

were doing something good and made them feel good. It was for more than the money they

were doing it for - for sure.

Maintaining the bush is also considered beneficial for enjoying nature and for recreational

activities that encourage tourism. One participant noted:

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You get addicted to being in the woods. Just want to go out and sit on a log and listen to the

birds for awhile.

The notion that the bush is a sustainable resource is prevalent in the area. It is common to

hear people discuss the family bush as their childrens inheritance to be passed on to future

generations.

That is the kid's inheritance. Like J.M. talks about it all the time. He looks up his ridge of

Oak and says - there is my kid's inheritance -there is all my RRSPs [retirement savings

account].

Participants acknowledged that they were sure there were some woodfuel operations that

were not sustainable, they were more concerned about logging practices not related to wood

fuel. It was generally felt that "people are not decimating the bush for firewood -- it is for

lumber". Participants had seen a significant and visible change in the last couple of years of

forest management practices. It was felt that these changes have occurred for a couple ofreasons: one, there is this widespread reaction against possible government restrictions on

cutting that has prompted more cutting of the bush for lumber; two, it was also felt that

lumber mills that have refitted to be fibre board plants had encouraged the cutting of smaller

and smaller trees. As one participant described the situation with the local mill:

They need 5000 logs a week to keep that place going. There will be no forest left. They go

through with harvester and skidder and a slasher saw. When they are going through the bush

some of them are 12 ft wide. If trees are not cut down they drive over them.

Future sustainability

Participants expressed concern about the future of their rural community in relation to

transportation. Many of the participants were concerned about how the lack of public

transportation and their need to drive everywhere contributes to pollution, is expensive and in

many ways counteracts the positive results from using a renewable energy source.

I wonder about this whole rural living in a way - we might burn wood for heat but we sure

burn a lot of gas getting from place to place.

Another participant expressed similar concerns:

The oil issue worries me a citizen of the planet. We are so dependent on our vehicles here. It

will be difficult in terms of mobility or being able to plug ourselves into anything beyond the

village life. And my village only has six houses and no store.

Gendered Differences in Relation to Wood Energy

The wood fuel users acknowledged that gender in discussions of energy is relevant for

developing an energy literacy that can facilitate an informed and equitable sustainable energy

transition. As previously identified, there is a tendency to overlook, or at the best

homogenize, people's relationship to energy in industrialized contexts, marginalizingwomen's experiences and the role that they play in energy management, conservation and

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education. However, viewing energy through a gendered lens focuses on alternative

experiences of everyday life and makes women's role in energy more visible.

The gender dimensions that arose in this study related to household division of labour,

differences in use of technology, and women's perspectives on wood energy.

Household division of labour

All family members, men, women and children, are actively involved in one form or another

in woodfuel management. This was the case in all but two of the families interviewed for this

study. However, the interviews revealed that there are distinct divisions of labour based on

gender when it comes to woodfuel processing, stacking, carrying and loading of the

woodstove. These divisions were found even in those households that demonstrated equal

division of other household and outside tasks.

In most households the gendered relations of labour were roughly based on an inside andoutside division. In general, cutting and processing firewood was the primary responsibility

of men, whereas the inside work of maintaining fires, particularly cookstoves, was the

primary responsibility of women. This relationship changed somewhat with men taking more

responsibility if the heating was done with a furnace in the basement instead of a woodstove

in the living space. On the other hand, the splitting of wood and stacking of the woodpile is

often a shared activity. Children are involved in stacking wood, and take primary

responsibility for carrying wood into the house.

Many participants saw this approach to the management of woodfuel as consistent with the

traditional division of labour that has been prominent in the community. A senior womandescribed the division of labour growing up in her local household:

Mother was the inside and Daddy was the outside. She did gardens outside. But everything

was her until we got older to help. I cant remember even starting a fire at home.

Participants identified a number of reasons for this gendered division of labour. A number of

participants suggested their rural lifestyles that require woodfuel management and garden

planting and harvesting to happen somewhat simultaneously has required some division of

labour. One woman reminisced:

I found that once I moved to the country there were a lot more men's roles and women's

roles. When you have that much work to do in the summer season they do make some sense.

There are numerous exceptions to this division of labour based on changing circumstances

and situations. For example, the single women interviewed for this study are responsible for

all aspects of their household woodfuel management. And in another situation:

In this household there are 2 men that live here and 2 women. Mom actually does the largest

part of the piling of the wood into the wood shed - we go through 6 - 8 full bush cords a year

- so she manages that. She windrows it in the yard with a little help from the kids and us - she

is the one who lugs most of the wood into the house.

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Most participants felt that much of the division of labour was based on practical division of

labour based mostly on the physical limitations of women using certain forms of technology.

Gender and wood energy technology

Participants were not able to fully identify why a division of labour existed in relation towood energy, however, all agreed that the required use of a chainsaw has been a significant

barrier to women's full participation. One male participant described this situation: On the

cutting end of it there are the tools that a lot of women are not used to using that they find

scary like chain saws.

One women who grew up in the area discussed that even though she spent lots of time in the

bush with her father, it was her brothers that were taught to cut wood, while she was expected

to split and stack. Another woman interviewed for this study who was a housebuilder and is

now a blacksmith expressed her reluctance to use the chainsaw:

It is not the tool thing - because I am comfortable with tools and I did a lot of the building so

it kind of went that way - because it was something he was comfortable with and good at

doing - while I was more comfortable doing the building.

Four of the women interviewed owned a smaller sized chainsaw. However, these chainsaws

are used mostly for small jobs in the yard and trimming fallen trees. One woman who has

been recently widowed described her experience of trying to learn to use a chainsaw.

I bought a chainsaw at one point and I was using it. But I found anytime I went out to help

with firewood my husband always preferred that I drag brush away and stack it and get it outof the way rather than doing the chainsaw because it was just more efficient with him using

the chainsaw. So I never learned to use it which is unfortunate now that he has gone.

However, most of the women who are in relationships felt that they were fortunate that their

partners are willing and competent with the chainsaw. A couple of women joked that "if I

used the chainsaw it would be just be one more thing I had to do. Just as well not to learn".

When it comes to wood burning technology men and women had equal comfort and

competence with the functioning and management of woodstoves, furnaces, and other wood

energy appliances like barbeques and maple syrup evaporators.

The purchase of a wood stove, particularly if it is to be in the main floor of the house, was a

joint decision. Women and men were equally interested in correct burning technique, clean

burning fire, and wood conservation, while women were more interested in management of

ashes, placement of wood storage, size of wood, and environmental implications of

woodburning. One woodstove retailer did detect a difference in women's willingness to learn

and to take initiative for their own learning about wood energy technology.

I find women have a lot more really good questions. And women listen and hear to what you

have to say. And they are willing to do a little research on their own. They are not as

dependent on you to spend hours telling them stuff. You can spend 5 minutes telling them

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where they can go and find the stuff themselves. They are able educate themselves and they

will do that much more willingly then men.

Women and wood energy

The previous discussion made visible the reality that men and women in some ruralcommunities in developed countries have maintained daily hands-on involvement with

energy. However, the case study also confirmed that women's experience with energy has

been shaped somewhat differently then men's experiences of energy. Women felt there was a

distinct gender difference in the use of energy in rural households. For example, "men tend to

use four wheelers and skidoos - men are recreational consumers of energy - whereas women

are not"

Two things in particular emerged in this case study that can provide some insight into the

development of an energy literacy. These themes are: poverty and how it can link women

across the globe; and, responding to gender barriers by learning with other women.

The four single women participants in this study, like the two single women from the solar

energy case study, identified that poverty had influenced their use of wood energy. Three

women lived in log houses, while the other three lived in frame houses. All of these homes

are aging with need for energy efficient insulation and windows. All of the women described

wood as the only affordable option, as well as being a preference of heating source.

All of the women bought wood from a supplier and had it delivered. However, after delivery

these women were solely responsible for stacking, some splitting, and daily loading of the

wood box and wood stove. One woman echoed others sentiments when she stated: "thelabour involved in handling the wood is a way to offset high costs of other heating fuels".

Women described how having low heating bills was important, however, there was some

concern about having to pay for the wood all at once. There was often anxiety about having

enough cash to pay for woodfuel in the fall. As one women described:

I dont make enough off my farm income to survive. All the bills come in the fall. Every fall I

get really anxious. You have taxes and firewood and Christmas - gets hard and it all comes

at once. I am probably making as much as I would on welfare.

On the other hand, women felt that since everyone else in the community was using wood

there was no social stigma associated with using a cheap heating fuel.

A couple of the women discussed how their use of wood energy broadened their

understanding of energy and approach to energy in a way that was very different from

women and men in urban situations. A couple of women discussed satisfaction with being

able to look after their energy needs by being able to split and haul wood. One woman

laughed about this:

I was thinking when city people come to visit I get to feel like an Amazon. I can even split a

few pieces of wood to show off. Well not really show off - but it feels good.

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Two of the women mentioned how using wood energy links them to women in other parts of

the world.

I think of the work of using wood energy in terms of what the rest of the world has to do

sometimes to keep their lives going. Women can take 5-6 hours to collect the fuel the need to

do basic cooking. We don't want to have to do that. But it is nice not to be so far way from

those women - to be plugged into that human sustenance and reality to realize we dont live

by magic. We are a wee bit different from most of Western society that thinks heat comes

from turning the dial and meat comes in Styrofoam trays.

Linking with women was very important to the woman woodstove retailer in Lanark County

that was interviewed for this case study. This retailer contributed much of her success and

ability to get through the early years as a woman in a male dominated business to the one

other woman woodstove owner in Ontario (only a few in all of North America). She

approached her mentor recently and told her: you know if it werent for you I would not be

where I am now. You were there to help me get to where I am.

Learning about Energy: Everyday Life and a Sense of Place

Learning about energy needs to be a component of a transition toward more sustainable

lifestyles. The previous discussion about the experiences of wood energy users offered a view

of energy that is rooted in the local cultural and physical landscape. By extension, learning

about wood energy has been done in connection with the local community and the local

environment, using traditional knowledge in combination with advanced wood burning

technology.

As noted in the previous case study the intention of this study is to use the experiences of

renewable energy users as the basis for an energy literacy. The intention of this section of the

case study is to summarize aspects of learning that can inform an energy literacy. In this

section I want to briefly focus on aspects of learning that link individual and community

learning with the local environment. This case study in particular offers some understanding

of learning from a balance of everyday experience, traditional knowledge and transitions in

technology.

Learning about energy from everyday life: tradition and transitions

Participants described that learning about wood energy is a cyclical and multidimensional

process that revolves around the home, the community, and local forest resources, and applies

practical, traditional and technological knowledge.

In the household people learn about woodburning through daily management of wood

energy. Wood energy is a hands-on labour intensive way to heat your home. It is through

participation in the process of using wood energy that people have gained a unique awareness

of energy. All participants described how using wood for heating "makes us very aware of

our energy use" because "every other form of heating is hands off". Learning about energy

from daily experience is reflected in this participant's comment:

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We have talked a whole lot about how intimate we are on a daily basis with making the wood

energy process happen. I am sure we have a much clearer understanding - and gut feeling of

what is involved in energy

There are different aspects to learning how to burn wood in your household. This participant

described some of these characteristics:

There is definitely something about resourcefulness with wood energy. Knowing what is

going to work for what situation - it is just learning all the time - about wood, about fire,

about oxygen, about your own home and your own stove.

During the last twenty years the development of more efficient woodstove technology has

prompted a transition toward more efficient and ecological wood heating techniques. Several

participants attributed increased awareness to a local woodstove store that carried new

technology and had certified staff with helping them to learn about efficient use of wood and

clean woodburning techniques. One participant described his transition to more efficient useof wood.

My old way of woodburning changed with the new stoves. New technology - a whole new

stove. A lot of my old friends dont like airtight stoves. A lot of people didnt seem to

understand that kind of burning technique. Burn it hot until the juice it out of the wood and

turn it down. The old style was to put one big log in and get something good out of that.

Really, everyone has a different way of burning. Some people burn their whole life and dont

know how to burn properly.

Despite advancements in learning about proper wood burning there is still the commonperception that heating with wood is a relatively simple matter. As one retailer described:

There are a lot of people who come in that dont expect that there is anything to learn. They

think that what you do is you buy something and stick a piece of wood in there and you light

it and that is all there is to it. There is a lot of time spent with every couple that buys a wood

stove. Even if they have a high efficiency wood stove there is always education. Time spent

doing that is always worthwhile - they understand it better and it will work better for them

because they understand how it works.

Participants were concerned that burning stoves inefficiently "is wasteful - you can get a lotmore heat burning properly". And participants identified that there is still resistance from

older people that there is anything more they could learn about wood burning. In particular,

participants have noticed considerable skepticism about new stove technology, and

widespread concern about "university educated" forestry professionals.

Even participants committed to advanced woodstove technology agreed with local skepticism

about forestry specialists. There was general agreement among participants that learning how

to look after the bush in the traditional manner is a healthy choice for the forest. There was

also agreement that there was a significant difference in attitudes about maintaining the forest

based on private ownership or public ownership. People who live on their woodlot, and are

maintaining the family homestead, tend to view the forest as a permanent resource that needs

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to be managed properly. While participants expressed support for publicly owned lands there

was concern about "the way these lands are managed by political whims and not always

forestry health".

Many of the people who grew up in the area learned from being in the bush and from local

practices. A participant explained: "Growing up in the bush you can see how things grow".

And another participant stated:

Wood is the nicest thing there is. It is renewable. Trees grow again. I know a lot of the

oldtimers they cut their bush so they would always have firewood and always have good

trees. They learned from their Dads.

People who have moved to the area felt that they have learned everything they know about

maintaining a forest, and other farm related activities, from local practices. The respect for

local practices is evident in this participant's reflection:

On the wood end we learned strictly from locals. What to cut, what burns best, when to cut it,

and how to stack it. Our neighbour was very gentle in teaching us with patience. Always

willing to share anything that he had to offer.

Just as learning about wood burning is not static, most participants viewed learning proper

forest management as an ongoing process done in conjunction with other community

members.

I am still learning about chopping down trees. I am learning about wood and ecology of

wood. It is because we talk about it so much here - you always learn something - from aneighbor or a friend.

In the end, keeping a house warm with wood energy is learning to balance modern

technology, with traditional knowledge, with a little intuition about nature. As this participant

describes:

Wood burning connects you with nature through the weather too, in that you are constantly

adjusting for the weather. There is no automatic thermostat on the wall - you are it - you are

looking and listening to the weather and looking at the thermostat and trying to judge how

much wood to throw in.

The stories of many of the participants interviewed for this study confirmed that using wood

energy helps people to learn about energy in the context of everyday life, learn together in

community, and to do this within the limits of the environment and the cycles of nature.

Summary

In this case study I have presented the experiences of a small number of rural people who use

wood energy for their household heating requirements. I have presented their stories as much

as possible using participant's words to describe the culture of wood energy, how it

contributed to rural community sustainability, the gendered dimensions of wood energy, and

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what has been learned about using wood energy in the context of a rural forest-based

community.


Trees of every description have carved themselves into our mythologies in an enduring way.

Many of the folks we create wooden rings for choose a particular wood mindful of it's mythic

or spiritual properties.

We've provided some information here just as a guide.

Native American teachings speak of trees as 'The Standing People'.

These Native teachings speak of the special lessons and gifts each Standing Person has to

give humankind.

Birch gives the essence of truth. It is considered the 'giving tree'.

Walnut teaches us clarity and focus, using our mental gifts wisely and how to best use our

intelligence.

Oak teaches us strength of character and how to keep our bodies strong and healthy.

Cherry teaches us the lessons of clearing the pain of the heart and relating to others in a

compassionate manner. Cherry is the tree of the heart.

Pine is the tree of peace.

Ash is peace of mind and promotes good health.

Maple is the tree of offering, giving of one's self so that others may benefit.

Arbutus (aka Madrone/a) amongst all the trees of the Pacific northwest, the Arbutus or

Madrone Tree holds the title of most sacred tree to the original inhabitants of this vast region.

In the legend of the great flood, the Salish First Nation describe how the Madrona tree

provided an anchor for their canoes to hold steady and not drift away. On the British

Columbia West Coast, the Salish Nation also honours the Arbutus Tree as their Tree of

Knowledge because it knows how to find the sun. (source)

In Druid and Celtic mythologies Birch is valued as the tree of inception and beginnings.

Birch is also a wood with great powers to purify and discipline. Birch is about new

beginnings, fresh starts, creativity, procreation renewal and rebirth, purification and service.

Birch is associated with the element of water. It is a tree of the sun and the planet Venus. It's

herbal gender is feminine. Birch is considered to be a Goddess tree, the symbol of summer

ever-returning.

Walnut holds the powers of the breath, teleportation, astral travel, and inspiration. Symbolic

of confidence and mental wisdom. Black Walnut wood has medicinal properties that are

useful in the prevention and treatment of disease.

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Juniper (and Juniper Heart Wood which is simply the heart wood of the juniper tree) holds

powers of protection, strength, healing, health, peace and love. Juniper is connected to good

health and banishing anything injurious to health. Juniper is associated with Jupiter and the

element of fire. Juniper is a symbol of longevity. In the language of flowers Juniper

symbolizes perfect loveliness. In Ireland, the Juniper is called IUBHAR CREIGE "Yew ofthe rocks". The fine-grained, pinkish red to brownish red heartwood is fragrant, very light

and very durable, even in contact with soil.

The tree our Juniper Heartwood branches come from ...

Maple is somewhat rebellious and tough. It holds the qualities of creation, communication,

binding, revolution, rebirth, healing, beauty, art, and abundance. Full of imagination and

originality. Maple is a traveler's wood. Those who are always on the move and changing

will feel right at home with this type of energy. It enhances intellectual pursuits and learning.

Oak is one of the most sacred trees. It carries the energy of kingship and wise rule, personalsovereignty, authority, power, protection, sealing or opening doors, endurance, and

invocation of wisdom, fertility, and abundance.

Cherry is imbued with the powers of making and doing, achievement, and self-assertion over

obstacles and critics. It is the pure energy of will and desire. The cherry fruit is magically

linked to the root chakra and so to sex and birth: the life force of attraction and renewal.

Ash carries the qualities of ambition, trustworthiness, faithfulness.

Beech holds the power of the creative. It is also about leadership and companionship.

Olive offers insight, inspiration, and aids communication.

Willow is a tree of emotion, love, intuition, and poetic inspiration.

Spruce The spirit of the spruce tree holds great knowledge about healing, especially in

relation to the metaphysical causes of disease. Its spirit is gentle. It is not unusual for those

who attune to the spirit of spruce to find that there follows an increase in animals within that

environment.

Hawaiian Koa is a sacred wood used for centuries to build canoes, ceremonial bowls, musicalinstruments, tools and utensils. It has come to represent integrity and strength, sensitivity and

protection. The energy associated with the masculine aspects of this wood are duality and

balance. Koa in its feminine aspect brings a fiery energy with creativity, beauty, and

wisdom and strength.

Rosewood has compassionate and lovingheart qualities. The energy of rosewood is

primarily feminine, and focused on spiritual, intuitive health and beauty. It is spiritual and

nourishing. Rosewood is especially effective in spiritual healing. In matters dealing with

beauty, rosewood can be very effective. Carried or worn as a charm, this wood will enhance

female beauty and feminine grace. Frivolous energies will not be enhanced by this wood.

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Purpleheart is a spiritual wood. It enhances energy dealing with creativity and knowledge.

One of the best woods when dealing with spiritual healing and health issues, purpleheart

would be especially useful in eradicating the negative energies that create strife in the home.

Eucalyptus is one of the strongest healing woods known. It has been used for medicines for

centuries as well as for ritual items pertaining to healing. The energy of this wood is good

and pure, clean like the earth from which it is born. This wood is highly recommended for

any purpose combating illness or promoting good health.

Grenadilla or African Blackwood is often mistaken for ebony, since it is such a uniform black

color. However, African Blackwood is not part of the ebony family. Rather, it is a part of

the rosewood family, and the black color is actually an extremely deep purple. This wood is

strongly aligned with the energy of Saturn. It acts as a conduit between the physical and

spiritual realms. African Blackwood is useful for exacting creative and intellectual changes in

life and removing communication barriers.

Mahogany Spiritual growth and guidance are Mahogany's primary properties. It is an

excellent wood for emotional and spiritual healing though since it is a brittle wood is best

used as a band on a ring rather than as a main wood.

Zebrawood The primary associations of this wood are the moon, love, luck, wisdom,

creativity, and beauty.

Birch Bark . . . since the dawn of human kind, birch bark has been highly valued and utilized

for all manner of things of benefit to us 'two legged's'.... It is after all, the bark of the giving

tree. The birch bark we use is lovingly collected from the ground around where we live.Rings with birch bark inlays or braids are beautiful and striking but are not the best

recommendation for everyday wear. By it's nature, birch bark remains forever pliable so it

can be easier to scratch and mark.

"Birch wood is a very important commercial tree for the paper industry, however, birch bark

is currently a waste product. Nearly 50 tons of birch bark are burned daily in the average

paper mill." (source 'Birch and Birch Bark' by Pavel Krasutsky, Natural Resources

Research Institute, University of Minnesota-Duluth


Definition of WOOD

archaic: violently mad

Origin of WOOD

Middle English, from Old English wd insane; akin to Old High German wuot madness

more at vatic

First Known Use: before 12th century

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Rhymes with WOOD

good, hood, pud, rudd, should, would, yod

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

1. [uncountable] the substance that forms the main part of a tree and is used for making

things such as furniture

a piece of wood

the polished dark wood of an antique table

cut/chop wood: They stopped encouraging people to cut wood for fuel.

Thesaurus entry for this meaning of wood

a. [usually before noun] made from wood

a wood floor


b. [only before noun] using wood as a fuel

a wood stove


2. wood or woods [countable] a small forest

I often walk the dog in the woods behind our house.


Phrases

Someone cant see the wood for the treesBritish informal

used for saying that someone cannot understand what is important in a situation because they

are thinking too much about small details


Not be out of the woods yet informal

used for saying that a situation is still difficult although it has improved

There has been a slight upturn in the economy, but were not out of the woods yet.



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WOOD Surname Meaning & Origin:

1) Originally used to describe a person who lived in or worked in a wood or forest. Derived

from Middle English wode, meaning "wood."

2) Possibly derived from the Old English wad, meaning crazed or crazy, the name wassometimes used to describe someone considered mad or violent.

3) An ancient Scottish surname, first called De Bosco, because the family bore trees in their

coat of arms.

Wood is the 75th most popular surname in the United States. Ward is also popular in

England, coming in as the 26th most common surname.


Wood Meaning and Definition

(a.) Mad; insane; possessed; rabid; furious; frantic.

(v. i.) To take or get a supply of wood.

(n.) A large and thick collection of trees; a forest or grove; -- frequently used in the plural.

(n.) Trees cut or sawed for the fire or other uses.

(n.) The substance of trees and the like; the hard fibrous substance which composes the body

of a tree and its branches, and which is covered by the bark; timber.

(v. i.) To grow mad; to act like a madman; to mad.

(n.) The fibrous material which makes up the greater part of the stems and branches of trees

and shrubby plants, and is found to a less extent in herbaceous stems. It consists of elongated

tubular or needle-shaped cells of various kinds, usually interwoven with the shinning bands

called silver grain.

(v. t.) To supply with wood, or get supplies of wood for; as, to wood a steamboat or a

locomotive.

Wood: words in the definition

A, Act, And, As, Bark, Body, Branches, By, Called, Collection, Covered, Cut, Elongated,

Extent, Fibrous, Fire, For, Forest, Found, Frantic, Frequently, Furious, Get, Grain, Grove,

Grow, Hard, Herbaceous, In, Insane, Interwoven, Is, It, Its, Large, Less, Like, Locomotive,

Mad, Madman, Material, Needle, Of, Or, Other, Part, Plural, Possessed, Rabid, Sawed,

Shaped, Shinning, Shrubby, Silver, Steamboat, Substance, Supplies, Supply, Take, The,

Thick, Timber, To, Tree, Tubular, Up, Used, Various, Which, With, Wood,

Wood synonyms: Forest, Wooden.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: wood

Cross section of a tree trunk. Wood is secondary xylem produced by growth of the vascular

cambium (credit: Merriam-Webster Inc.)

Hard, fibrous material formed by the accumulation of secondary xylem produced by thevascular cambium. It is the principal strengthening tissue found in the stems and roots of trees

and shrubs. Wood forms around a central core (pith) in a series of concentric layers called

growth rings. A cross section of wood shows the distinction between heartwood and

sapwood. Heartwood, the central portion, is darker and composed of xylem cells that are no

longer active in the life processes of the tree. Sapwood, the lighter area surrounding the

heartwood, contains actively conducting xylem cells. Wood is one of the most abundant and

versatile natural materials on earth, and unlike coal, ores, and petroleum, is renewable with

proper care. The most widely used woods come from two groups of trees: the conifers, or

softwoods (e.g., pine, spruce, fir), and the broadleaves, or hardwoods (e.g., oak, walnut,

maple). Trees classified as hardwoods are not necessarily harder than softwoods (e.g., balsa, a

hardwood, is one of the softest woods). Density and moisture content affect the strength of

wood; in addition to load-bearing strength, other variable factors often tested include

elasticity and toughness. Wood is insulating to heat and electricity and has desirable

acoustical properties. Some identifying physical characteristics of wood include colour,

odour, texture, and grain (the direction of the wood fibres). Some 10,000 different wood

products are commercially available, ranging from lumber and plywood to paper, from fine

furniture to toothpicks. Chemically derived products from wood and wood residues include

cellophane, charcoal, dyestuffs, explosives, lacquers, and turpentine. Wood is also used for

fuel in many parts of the world.

For more information on wood, visit Britannica.com.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction: wood

The hard fibrous substance which composes the trunk and branches of a tree, lying between

the pith and bark.

Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology: wood

Area of land covered in trees that are maintained as a managed resource for the production oftimber, underwood, coppice wood, browsing, and pannage. In medieval Europe woods were

an extremely valuable economic resource and their management provided a livelihood for

many people. Archaeologically, woods contain many features relating to the economic

exploitation of the woodland resources including charcoal-burning platforms, saw pits,

internal subdividing banks, boundary works (woodbanks), and trackways.

Columbia Encyclopedia: wood

Wood, botanically, the xylem tissue that forms the bulk of the stem of a woody plant. Xylem

conducts sap upward from the roots to the leaves, stores food in the form of complexcarbohydrates, and provides support; it is made up of various types of cells specialized for

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each of these purposes. Among them are tracheids, elongated conduction and support cells;

parenchyma (food storage) cells, some of which form rays for transverse conduction; xylem

vessels, formed of hollow cells joined end to end; and fiber cells that reinforce these tubes. In

the conifers the xylem is made up mainly of tracheids, thus presenting a uniform, nonporous

appearance; their wood is called softwood. Deciduous trees have more complex xylem,permeated by vessels, and are called hardwoods, although the description is sometimes

inaccurate.

The xylem is formed in the growing season by the cambium; in temperate regions the cells

formed in the spring are larger in diameter than those formed in the summer, and this results

in the annual rings observable in cross section. The new cells lose their protoplasm as they

form the various tissues; the older, nonfunctional cells become plugged up, darken in color,

and often accumulate bitter or poisonous substances (tannins, dyes, resins, and gums). This

inner wood (the heartwood, as opposed to the functional sapwood) is valued for outdoor

construction because of its resistance to moisture and to decay-producing organisms.

Commercial Uses

Freshly cut wood contains much moisture and tends to warp and split as it dries. Lumber is

therefore seasoned before use-dried either slowly in the sun and air or more quickly by

artificial means (kiln drying). Seasoning increases wood's buoyancy, strength, elasticity, and

durability. Although synthetic materials have supplanted wood in many of its former uses, it

is still widely employed for furniture, floors, railway ties, paper manufacture, and

innumerable other purposes. Wood distillation yields methyl alcohol, wood tar, acetic acid,

acetone, and turpentine; charcoal is made by burning or heating wood in insufficient air toconsume it.

The wood of different species of trees varies considerably in weight, strength, and

appearance. Softwood is normally uniform in grain (texture) and color; hardwood, in which

the rays are more prominent and the arrangement of tissues is variable, produces lumber in

which the grain may run vertically or horizontally and be coarse or smooth. The manner in

which a log is cut results in lumber with thin or wide ray markings. A log cut horizontally

shows the concentric annual rings; lengthwise cuts through the center are marked by thin

vertical ray lines; and lengthwise cuts through the outer sections show the wood's

characteristic wavy grain and wider ray markings, prized for their beauty. The rarerdecorative woods may be cut in thin layers and glued to other wood structures (see veneer).

Plywood, made of thin layers of wood glued so that the grains alternate in direction, makes an

especially strong construction material. For some applications composition board offers

another inexpensive substitute. Pressure-treated wood is lumber that has had a preservative

forced into it under pressure.

Bibliography

See H. Cone, Wood Structure and Identification (1979); H. Bucksh, Dictionary of Wood and

Woodworking Practice (2 vol., 1986).

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Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names: Wood

As affix, see main name, e.g. for Wood Dalling (Norfolk) see Dalling.

Previous: Wooburn, Wonersh, Womenswold

Next: Wood Green, Woodale, Woodbastwick

Biology Q&A:

What is wood?

Wood is the accumulated secondary xylem of a plant. Generally, the wood used

commercially is from plant stems rather than plant roots. Wood located near the center of a

tree trunk is called heartwood. Its cells are infiltrated with gums and resins from the aging

secondary xylem. Heartwood is often darker in color than wood nearer to the vascular

cambium. Wood closer to the vascular cambium is called sapwood. It is actively involved intransporting water within the plant.

Previous question: What is replacing natural cork for wine stoppers?

Next question: What is the function of bark?

Taylor's Dictionary for Gardeners: wood

The secondary xylem or tough inner core of a tree, shrub, or perennial vine.

Word Tutor: wood

IN BRIEF: n. - A golf club with a long shaft used to hit long shots; Any wind instrument

other than the brass instruments ; The trees and other plants in a large densely forested area ;

The hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I . . . I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all

the difference. Robert Frost.

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Sign Language Videos: wood

sign description: One flat hand slides across the opposite arm on the back of the hand.

Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang: wood

noun

noun, Austral and NZ

1: to have the wood on (someone): To have an advantage over, to have a hold on. (1926 ) .

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N. Manning We've got the wood on Wilkie and McKenzie....I caught them smoking pot in

the out-of-bounds area (1977).

2: orig Brit The penis, esp. (now) an erection of the penis; esp. in phr. to get wood. (1985

) .

Guardian Will...[he] be able to get it up or, to use the porn industry term, 'get wood'? (1996).

[In sense 1, perh. in allusion to wooden verb.]

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Random House Word Menu: categories related to 'wood'

For a list of words related to wood, see:

Woods and Brush - wood: dense growth of trees, larger than a grove and smaller than a forest

Cuts, Sizes, Treatments, and Forms of Wood - wood: hard, fibrous substance beneath tree

bark, cut and prepared as timber or lumber

Golf

Wikipedia on Answers.com: Wood

"Wooden" redirects here. For other uses, see Wooden (disambiguation).

"Heartwood" redirects here. For other uses, see Heartwood (disambiguation).

This article is about the substance. For small forests, see woodland. For wood as a

commodity, see lumber. For other uses, see Wood (disambiguation).

Wood surface, showing several features

Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of

thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a

natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix oflignin which resists compression. Wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of trees

(and other woody plants). In a living tree it performs a support function, enabling woody

plants to grow large or to stand up for themselves. It also mediates the transfer of water and

nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues. Wood may also refer to other plant

materials with comparable properties, and to material engineered from wood, or wood chips

or fiber.

The earth contains about one trillion tons of wood, which grows at a rate of 10 billion tons

per year. As an abundant, carbon-neutral renewable resource, woody materials have been of

intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In 1991, approximately 3.5 billion cubicmeters of wood were harvested. Dominant uses were for furniture and building construction.

the meaning of woods

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