← Back to catalogue
Published

wood

vr.tr.wood · thing-wood

Enable an AI agent to recognise wood, assess its condition and suitability, and determine which uses or treatments are justified by the available evidence.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.MAT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions

Wood identity and boundaries Establish what material is present and how confidently it can be identified.

Material recognition

Separate wood tissue from neighbouring materials and product constructions.

Wood tissue evidence

Record observations that support identifying the assessed region as wood.

  1. Which exposed tissues, anatomical observations or composition records support identifying this material as wood? definition
  2. Where are the boundaries between wood, bark, coatings, adhesives and other constituents? boundary

Botanical attribution

Track botanical identification without overstating its precision.

Taxon and identification confidence

Separate documented identity, observed diagnostic evidence and unresolved attribution.

  1. What taxon is supported, by which identification method, and with what confidence? definition
  2. Which origin records or examined samples connect that identification to this particular piece or lot? provenance
Anatomy and direction Describe the internal organisation that affects how a piece behaves and can be worked.

Tissue distribution

Locate distinguishable anatomical regions within the assessed material.

Heartwood, sapwood and growth regions

Map observed tissue regions and retain uncertainty where visual identification is insufficient.

  1. Which regions are identified as heartwood or sapwood, and what evidence supports the distinction? definition
  2. Where are the pith and visible growth boundaries relative to the usable section? measurement

Grain and local deviation

Relate fibre direction and local growth features to intended operations.

Direction relative to work

Record grain direction, knots and deviations at locations relevant to cuts, connections or loads.

  1. How does grain direction vary relative to the piece axes, especially around knots and other growth features? measurement
  2. How should proposed cuts, joints or loading directions respond to those observed features? action
Moisture and dimensional condition Describe water content, conditioning history and geometry at the time of assessment.

Moisture profile

Capture moisture measurements and their representativeness.

Measured water content

Record moisture content with method limitations and variation through the material.

  1. What moisture contents were measured, at which depths and positions, using which method and corrections? measurement
  2. What drying, wetting and storage history is known before those measurements? provenance

Geometry and conditioning

Assess current dimensions and observed movement during environmental change.

Movement and usable geometry

Distinguish present geometry from an assumption that the material has stabilised for its intended environment.

  1. What dimensions, bow, cup and twist are present, and how have they changed during monitored conditioning? measurement
  2. What conditioning and remeasurement are needed before final sizing or installation in the intended environment? action
Soundness and deterioration Locate damage and biological indicators and assess what remains uncertain about sound material.

Physical integrity

Describe discontinuities and damage within the piece.

Checks, splits and section loss

Locate physical damage relative to the section needed for a proposed use.

  1. Where are checks, splits, crushed areas or missing material, and what are their measured extents? measurement
  2. Which affected or unexamined regions intersect proposed load paths, connections or finished surfaces? boundary

Biological assessment

Separate signs of organisms from evidence of active deterioration.

Fungal and insect evidence

Record observed indicators, investigative limits and implications for further action.

  1. What fungal growth, discolouration, softness, galleries or insect residues are present, and over what extent? measurement
  2. What further inspection or monitoring is needed to distinguish historic traces, active attack and loss of sound wood? action
Interventions and use suitability Connect material history and measured condition to justified operations and uses.

Processing and exposure history

Capture interventions and exposures that alter subsequent working or recovery options.

Treatments and hidden inclusions

Record known modifications, residues and embedded materials together with unresolved history.

  1. What records or examinations establish preservatives, coatings, thermal modification, contamination or embedded fasteners? provenance
  2. What inspection or identification is needed before machining, bonding, treating or selecting a recovery route? action

Evidence for intended use

Determine whether available evidence supports the proposed demand on the wood.

Performance and decision limits

Tie suitability decisions to the assessed material, service conditions and applicable evidence.

  1. Which tests or grading records support the intended use, and do they apply to this piece, grain direction and moisture condition? provenance
  2. Given the intended loads, exposure and finish requirements, what use or intervention is supported and what requires additional assessment? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
noun.substance
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.MAT
Facets: substance
material
Facets: origin
natural
Facets: agency
inert
Facets: mobility
varies
Facets: scale
not-applicable
Facets: affordances
observable
Other names and narrower kinds
bentwood, pine, knotty pine, white pine, yellow pine, larch, fir, cedar, cedarwood, red cedar, pencil cedar, spruce

What it is Filled

the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees

In scope

  • Identification of wood and the evidence supporting its botanical attribution
  • Grain, growth features, heartwood and sapwood, and their distribution within a piece
  • Moisture, dimensions and material behaviour under specified conditions
  • Natural features, damage, biological deterioration and residual soundness
  • Processing, treatment and exposure history affecting material suitability
  • Evidence supporting a proposed use, intervention or recovery route

Out of scope

  • Tree health, growth and management, owned by living-tree and forestry models
  • Bark, foliage, roots as organs and other neighbouring biological materials
  • Engineered wood products, whose adhesives, layups and product performance belong to product models
  • Furniture, buildings and other assemblies made from wood
  • Commercial transactions, land tenure and certification systems
  • Charcoal, ash, pulp and other transformed materials that require their own identities

Why it exists Filled

Enable an AI agent to recognise wood, assess its condition and suitability, and determine which uses or treatments are justified by the available evidence.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Determine whether an exposed section has woody tissue beneath bark or anatomical features consistent with tree wood; colour and surface hardness alone do not establish identity.
  • Distinguish bark from underlying wood by examining their boundary and tissue structure rather than treating the entire tree exterior as one material.
  • Inspect transverse and longitudinal faces for tissue organisation consistent with wood; distinguish bamboo and palm material through botanical or anatomical evidence when appearance is inconclusive.
  • Check for bonded particles, fibres, veneers or lamellae: these indicate an engineered product whose constituent wood can be described here but whose assembly requires another model.
  • Where a surface imitates wood grain, examine an existing exposed edge or documented composition to distinguish solid wood from printed coverings and non-wood substitutes.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Trade or use timber from illegal logging or protected species.
  • Burn treated or painted wood indoors or near people.
  • Cut or sand wood without dust control and protective equipment for workers.
  • Present a wooden structure as sound without inspecting it.

Only with a human decision

  • Felling trees or removing load-bearing timber.
  • Declaring wooden structures safe for use.

May

  • Identify wood species and grade timber from visible features and records.
  • Report rot, insect damage or moisture in wooden structures it is authorized to inspect.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Illegal logging destroys forests and the livelihoods of people who depend on them.
  • Wood dust harms the lungs of the people who work it.

Who is affected

  • Forest communities
  • Woodworkers
  • Occupants of timber buildings

Owners Filled

Steward

The owner of the forest or timber; forestry authorities regulate harvest and trade.

Master systems

  • National forest inventories and timber legality registers

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • oewn-15016279-n - registry parent class

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.wood
  • Open English WordNet: oewn-15122728-n

Direct properties required Filled

  • Botanical attribution: Scientific taxon or unresolved group, with identification method and confidence
  • Tissue region: Heartwood, sapwood, mixed or unresolved; spatial extent where observable
  • Grain orientation: Direction relative to piece axes and intended loading or cutting direction; degrees where measured
  • Moisture content: Percent of oven-dry mass, with method, sampling position, date and applicable corrections
  • Density at stated condition: kg/m³, with moisture condition and mass-and-volume basis
  • Dimensions and distortion: Dimensions in mm; bow, cup, twist and other deviations with reference geometry
  • Discontinuities and growth features: Located knots, checks, splits, grain deviations and other observed features, with extent
  • Biological condition: Observed fungal or insect indicators, extent, evidence of activity and assessment confidence
  • Treatment and contamination history: Links to treatment, coating, adhesive, thermal modification or contamination records
  • Performance evidence: Links to applicable tests or grading records, including direction, condition and assessed piece or population

Recognition required Filled

  • A hard fibrous material with visible grain and, in cross-section, growth rings.
  • Colour and smell vary by species; it is lighter than stone and burns.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • Identify or provisionally classify wood through documented inspection and proportionate sampling.
  • Condition, dry or protect wood while monitoring moisture and dimensional change.
  • Saw, plane, carve or otherwise machine wood with regard to grain, defects and embedded material.
  • Assess candidate locations for joints, fasteners or bonding using local condition and relevant performance evidence.
  • Retain, repair, treat or exclude affected regions after assessing deterioration and treatment compatibility.
  • Route wood for reuse or another recovery process according to its condition and known treatment history.

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Rot and insects weaken wooden structures until they fail.
  • Wood burns, and wood dust can cause respiratory disease and dust explosions.

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • ISPM 15, Regulation of wood packaging material in international trade, IPPC.
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Context of use required Filled

  • Wood is encountered in tree trunks, branches and roots, and as harvested material in buildings, furniture, packaging and tools.
  • It is used for structural support, shaped components, pulp and fuel, with suitability depending on species, grain, moisture and condition.
  • Inspection helps determine whether decay, cracking or previous treatment affects its intended use.

Sources Filled

  1. Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-15122728-n - sense and gloss of the concept
  2. Wiktionary: wood - word senses and usage

Open questions

  • How does the registry allocate palm tissue, bamboo and wood from woody shrubs relative to this tree-based definition?
  • Which identification methods and confidence thresholds are sufficient for each intended decision when species attribution is uncertain?
  • Which moisture measurement methods, corrections and sampling patterns are appropriate for the species, dimensions and treatments encountered?
  • Which grading or testing frameworks apply to proposed uses, particularly for reclaimed wood and pieces with local damage?
  • What evidence is sufficient to assess concealed deterioration or unknown treatment history before reuse, machining or recovery?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-wood/spec.json