Wood is one of the most significant structural materials used throughout human history. As documented by the earliest artifacts of human activity, wood has been associated with activities of hunting and gathering, early development of agriculture, and the foundations of civilization, as well as its obvious use as a fuel for fire. Archaeological studies of virtually every known civilization confirm the use of wood for a wide range of items and attest to wood's intimate involvement with human evolution and its progress through time.

As a structural material, wood has some rather remarkable properties. Despite its relatively low density (most woods float), it has physical characteristics that make it highly suitable for the building of structures that require resistance to bending, limited compressibility, relative ease of forming the members, and reliable means of attaching the structures together. In addition, properly prepared wood also possess aesthetic and...