Uses of Wood

A porous and fibrous hard-structured plant stem which is the secondary xylem of the vascular tissue consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin can be defined as wood. It’s a supportive organ of woody plants forming the branches and stems to give them a firm structure.

Uses of Wood in Different Sectors

Wood is a plant part having multipurpose uses that are impossible to deny and difficult to note all in our daily lives. From ancient times wood was used by humans and this continuation still remains in modern civilization. A few of many uses of wood are mentioned below:

1. Construction and Fencing

• Home Construction:

  During the early periods, the use of wood in domestic construction was a common scene and this is still followed in the twenty-first century. In different parts of the world in the making of houses, wood is used commonly like flooring, frames of doors, and windows for its strength and internment quality.
  e.g. Deodar (Cedrus deodara), walnut wood (Juglans sp) is used in Pakistan widely, teak (Tectona grandis) in South Asia and all over the world, Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii), etc. In Bangladesh during the construction of buildings woods from mango (Mangifera indica), and burflower tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) are used for casting and piling.  

• Fencing and Decorating Gardens:

  In modern decoration systems, woods are also used for building fencing and simple decoration for artificial gardening inside a home or on roofs.
  e.g. Cedar (Cedrus libani), redwood (Sequoia semipervirens), Shorea sp, Acacia sp.

2. Household Uses

• Utensils:

  Utensils made up of wood instead of plastic and steel are a symbol of elegance which increases the charm and loveliness of the home corners.
  e.g. Black walnut (Juglans nigra) wood is used in the West for home utensils.  

• Hand Tools:

  The handles of most common hand tools made of wood help as heat resistant when they are kitchenware used in an oven and close the chance to shock while used on electricity.

3. Art Industry

• Artworks:

  For artworks such as statues, sculptures, carvings, and making decorative objects woods are widely used. The frames of the art board and color plate are also made from wood in many cases.
  e.g. Pine (Pinus sp), maple (Acer sp), cherry (Prunus sp) wood for framing work.  

• Musical instrument:

  Musical instruments such as Piano, violin, cello, drums, flute, guitar, double bass, and a number of other music instruments material require wood to make a perfect tune.
  e.g. Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), maple, and ash wood (Fraxinus sp) for guitars.

4. Sports Equipment

• Wooden Toys:

  These are preferred to plastic towards the health conscious people which were supposed as a fashion before. Plastic is nothing but a combination of chemicals which is hazardous to children's health. Cricket, hockey, billiard, table tennis etc. Toys and sports equipment have long used wood for handles and main parts.
  e.g. Willow (Salix sp) wood for cricket, tennis bat; Mulberry (Morus sp) wood for hockey sticks.

5. Commercial Uses

• Furniture:

  At present, the market for wooden furniture is very profitable. No one can deny the demand for wooden furniture as it has been a sign of aristocracy since ancient times.
  e.g. Teak (Tectona grandis) wood is the best for making furniture. Some other woods from Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Shimul (Bombax ceiba), Sundari, Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Mango trees are used in south Asia for making different types of furniture.

• Shipbuilding:

  Ships and rural fishing boats were made from wood. For constructing boats and ships wood is one of the most important construction material. Hardwood and softwood were used in the past for the shipping industry.
  e.g. Teak, shal (Shorea robusta), mango, Arjun (Terminalia arjuna) were frequently used in the past. Now Cypress (Cupressaceae sp), redwood (Sequoioideae sp), white oak (Quercus alba) are water resistant and used for shipbuilding and boat building. Woods like kauri (Agathis australis) is used for making the frames of ships.  

• Fuel:

  Wood is an age-old source of energy all over the world. Before the exploration of gas, fuel was the main source we can also define as only one source of energy that people used by burning as woods were available in the forest easily. Generally, sticks, pellets, sawdust, and charcoal are used as an energy source from wood. Usually, woods from cheap plants are used in this sector.  

• Stationary:

  Some stationaries like paper pencil are made of wood. Wood pulp is used for making paper. Wood is used for making pencils too.
  e.g. in the past Cyper papyrus trees were used to make paper. In Bangladesh woods from Keora (Sonneratia apetala), Bine (Avicennia alba), Sundari (Heritiera fomes), Kakra (Bruguiera gymnorhyza), Geoa (Excoecaria agallocha) are used for making pulp of paper. Dhundal wood (Xylocarpus granatum) is used for pencil production.