Identification, Properties and Use of Imported Tropical Timber

The background, justification, development and specific objectives, implementation and outputs of ITTO Project “The Identification, Properties and Uses of Tropical Timber Imported to China ” implemented by Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry were presented in this paper. The main objectives of the project are to establishing the databases of timber from tropical zone and compile the handbooks. More than 600 species woods were described in these books. These outputs are being and will be disseminated to Chinese trade agencies, producers, end users and researchers in order to promote tropical wood trade between tropical timber producer countries and China. Every species was described in the handbook according to following aspects: wood names (including Chinese names, Latin names, commercial names and local names); tree habit and distribution; wood anatomical features (macro and micro features); wood properties (density, shrinkage, drying, preservation and processing); main use. Three microphotographs (cross, tangential and radial section) were given for each species in order that users identify the wood correctly. Above mentioned information in the handbook was stored in computer disk. The main functions of the database both in Chinese and English are as the following: retrieval of tree species according to wood anatomical feature; retrieval of suitable tree species according to wood users; retrieval of provenance, properties and uses according to tree species; retrieval of woods according to countries; mutual retrieval of Latin names, commercial names and local names; indication or printing of the tree species collected and all their information.