wood
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an AI agent to recognise wood, assess its condition and suitability, and determine which uses or treatments are justified by the available evidence.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
It can be 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..
Distinguishing features
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.
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
- 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
Characteristics
- Botanical attribution
- Scientific taxon or unresolved group, with identification method and confidence Species attribution informs further investigation but must not substitute for evidence about the actual piece.
- Tissue region
- Heartwood, sapwood, mixed or unresolved; spatial extent where observable Different regions can require different durability and treatment assessments.
- Grain orientation
- Direction relative to piece axes and intended loading or cutting direction; degrees where measured Wood must be assessed with respect to its directional structure.
- Moisture content
- Percent of oven-dry mass, with method, sampling position, date and applicable corrections Moisture condition affects dimensional behaviour, processing and interpretation of other measurements.
- Density at stated condition
- kg/m³, with moisture condition and mass-and-volume basis Density values are useful only when their measurement basis is known and comparable.
- Dimensions and distortion
- Dimensions in mm; bow, cup, twist and other deviations with reference geometry Usable geometry can differ from nominal size and can change during conditioning.
- Discontinuities and growth features
- Located knots, checks, splits, grain deviations and other observed features, with extent Their location relative to cuts, joints and loads can govern suitability.
- Biological condition
- Observed fungal or insect indicators, extent, evidence of activity and assessment confidence Visible indicators must be distinguished from confirmed active attack and loss of sound material.
- Treatment and contamination history
- Links to treatment, coating, adhesive, thermal modification or contamination records Previous interventions can constrain machining, bonding, reuse and disposal.
- Performance evidence
- Links to applicable tests or grading records, including direction, condition and assessed piece or population A proposed use needs evidence whose scope actually covers the material being assessed.
Analytical facets
- substance
- material
- origin
- natural
- agency
- inert
- mobility
- varies
- scale
- not-applicable
- affordances
- observable
Also called
+137
Where this came from
oewn:2024 · CC BY 4.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 20 questions.
Wood identity and boundaries Establish what material is present and how confidently it can be identified.
Visual resemblance and trade names can conceal a different material, an uncertain species or an engineered assembly.
Material recognition
Separate wood tissue from neighbouring materials and product constructions.
Wood tissue evidence
Record observations that support identifying the assessed region as wood.
- Which exposed tissues, anatomical observations or composition records support identifying this material as wood? definition
- 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.
- What taxon is supported, by which identification method, and with what confidence? definition
- 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.
Wood cannot be adequately assessed as a uniform material independent of tissue region and grain direction.
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.
- Which regions are identified as heartwood or sapwood, and what evidence supports the distinction? definition
- 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.
- How does grain direction vary relative to the piece axes, especially around knots and other growth features? measurement
- 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.
A moisture reading or dimension without its location and environmental context can misrepresent the state of a wood piece.
Moisture profile
Capture moisture measurements and their representativeness.
Measured water content
Record moisture content with method limitations and variation through the material.
- What moisture contents were measured, at which depths and positions, using which method and corrections? measurement
- 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.
- What dimensions, bow, cup and twist are present, and how have they changed during monitored conditioning? measurement
- 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.
Surface appearance alone does not establish the extent, activity or practical consequence of deterioration.
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.
- Where are checks, splits, crushed areas or missing material, and what are their measured extents? measurement
- 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.
- What fungal growth, discolouration, softness, galleries or insect residues are present, and over what extent? measurement
- 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.
Wood of similar appearance can require different handling because of previous treatments, hidden inclusions or differences in performance evidence.
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.
- What records or examinations establish preservatives, coatings, thermal modification, contamination or embedded fasteners? provenance
- 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.
- Which tests or grading records support the intended use, and do they apply to this piece, grain direction and moisture condition? provenance
- Given the intended loads, exposure and finish requirements, what use or intervention is supported and what requires additional assessment? action
What the second pass must settle
- 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?