A s it iiiiitcriiil of coiistriict ioii, wood iiiity justly cliiiiii niiiiiy iiiiiqiic iitlvitiitiigcs. I t is light iiiitl rc~iisoniilily strong, ciiii lie ciit i i i d fiisliioiictl iis rccluirctl, iintl is rcliit ivcly cliciip. Tlic grciit, disiitlvnii:iigc! to the gciiccil use of wood is its tciitlciicy t o tlcwy-it coiif ii1gc.iic.y \vliich iit presetit ciiiiiiot. lie coiiiplctdy init icipiitctl iiiiil iivoitlcd. Tiiiibcr lit mit iirc is prolific with recortlctl olmrviitioiis on t lie coiiditioiis of tlecny, uiitl on t lie rclittivc rcsistiiiicc of riirioris s p i e s of wootl. I n iidditioii, iiictliotls of t iiiibcr prcscrviit ion Iiiivc l m i i piit forwiird iii countless iiuiiibcr-iill liiisetl on t lie origiiiiil spcciiliit ion of J'nstcur, t Iiiit tlcciiy is of biologiciil origiii.
Thcrc is 1)l'ObilIJly iio otlicr iritliist ry w l i i c l i tlcpciids t o so grriit iiii estciit on triiil iiiitl error ciiipiricisiii ;IS tliiit of tiiiibcr scnsoiiiiig iiiid prescrvitt ion. The siicccss of iiictliotls of trciitiiieiit is giiiigctl by the test of tiiiic iiloii~, in tlefitiilt of rcliiiblc or iitlcqiiiitc tliitn, by obscrvntioiis recorded over stretches of iiiaiiy yciirs. I%y iriiy of csrtii~pIc, it is stated tliitt tlic Post Oftice uses Scots piiic iiiiprcgiiittcd wit.li