WOOD

Wood has been used for millennia as fuel, building material, and for the production of tools and weapons, furniture, and paper. More recently, it has become a raw material for the production of purified cellulose and its derivatives, such as cellophane and cellulose acetate. The global timber stock of forests in 2005 was approximately 434 billion cubic meters, of which 47% was commercially usable. As an abundant, carbon-neutral renewable resource, wood materials are the focus of intense interest as a source of renewable energy. In 1991, approximately 3.5 billion cubic meters of wood were harvested. The main uses were furniture and construction.