Wood is Good: Current Trends and Future Prospects in Wood Utilization

This book is a compilation of selected papers presented in the International Conference on the theme ‘Wood is Good: Current Trends and Future Prospects in Wood’. The contents of the book deal with recent innovations, trends and challenges in wood science and are grouped in five distinct sections. They cover a wide range of topics like wood variability, processing and utilization, wood protection, wood-based composites, wood energy and the role of wood in mitigating climate change. With the ever increasing human population and growing demand for wood, this book offers valuable insights for better understanding and efficient utilization of this wonderful gift of nature. This book will be useful to researchers, professionals, and policy makers involved in forestry and wood related areas.

Dr. Krishna K. Pandey is a senior scientist at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, having more than 30 years of research experience. He was Postdoctoral Researcher, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Japan; Senior Researcher at Helsinki University of Technology, Finland. Dr. Pandey has published more than 50 papers in peer reviewed journals. He is an elected Fellow of International Academy of Wood Science and a recipient of National Award for Excellence in Forestry Research by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Government of India. Presently, he is a member of Environmental Effects Assessment Panel of UNEP.

Dr. V. Ramakantha was the Director of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Government of India and he retired as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Manipur, India. He is well known in the fields of Forestry Research and Education, Wildlife Conservation and Ex-situ Conservation of flora andfauna. As a prolific writer, he is an author for two books, and has published several articles in peer reviewed journals and magazines. He was the Chairman of the Committee on National Strategy and Working Scheme for the Management of Red Sanders (Pterocarpus santalinus). Dr. Ramakantha is a Fellow of the Society for Applied Biotechnology and a Guest Faculty in several reputed institutions in India. He has received international recognition in the field of wildlife photography.

Dr. Shakti S. Chauhan is a senior scientist at the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru with more than 20 years of research experience. He was a Ph.D. Scholar, Postdoctoral Researcher and FAO Fellow at University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Dr. Chauhan is recognised internationally for his work on Wood Quality Assessment and Wood Polymer Composites. He has published more than 50 papers in peer reviewed journals and co-authored two books on wood science. He is a reviewer for several international journals in the field of Wood and Material Science. He is a Member, Committee for Timber Storage, Bureau of Indian Standards. Dr. Chauhan received Appreciation Award for his contribution in the field of Wood Technology, conferred by the Honourable Governor of Karnataka. 

Dr. A. N. Arun Kumar is a senior scientist of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru. Having research experience of more than two decades, he has published several articles in peer reviewed international journals and has also been a reviewer for many high impact journals on forestry. Dr. Arun has carried out pioneering research work on heartwood and oil variation in the Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album), the most valued tree species of India. His extensive research on growth and wood quality variability of several commercially important tree species like Pterocarpus santalinus, Chloroxylon swietenia, Hardwickia binata, Meliadubia etc. is a significant contribution in the field of tree improvement.