
The Tropical Timber Atlas: Technological characteristics and uses presents technical information for professionals who process and use temperate or tropical timber. It was recently published in French and in English.
The publication combines the main technical characteristics of 283 tropical species and 17 species from temperate regions most commonly used in Europe with their primary uses. Each data sheet is accompanied by two photos of sawn wood (flat sawn and quarter sawn, or flat sawn and half quarter sawn), two macro photographs, and for certain species, an illustration of how the wood can be used.
The atlas is directed at operators in the wood industry, including producers (forest managers, operating companies, political decision-makers) and consumers (importers, traders, processors, purchasers, architects, main contractors and builders). It can serve as a tool supporting teaching in the forest sector in tropical regions. It is supposed to work in line with the motto “The right wood in the right place”, connecting wood species with appropriate forms of use.
This book was produced by the Wood team of CIRAD’s BioWooEB Research Unit with financial support from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO).
The 2017 edition of the Tropical Timber Atlas: Technological characteristics and uses is a joint effort by Jean Gérard, Daniel Guibal, Sébastien Paradis and Jean-Claude Cerre.