This atlas presents technical information for professionals who process and use temperate or tropical timber. It combines the main technical characteristics of 283 tropical species and 17 species from temperate regions most commonly used in Europe with their primary uses. Each data sheet is accompanied by two photos of sawn wood (flat sawn and quarter sawn, or flat sawn and half quarter sawn), two macro photographs, and for certain species, an illustration of how the wood can be used.

This publication will be most useful to operators in the wood industry, including producers (forest managers, operating companies, political decision-makers) and consumers (importers, traders, processors, purchasers, architects, main contractors and builders). The Atlas serves as a tool of reference for teaching and training in the forest and wood sectors in tropical regions. Its purpose is to promote the most appropriate uses for each species according to its characteristics and in line with the motto: “the right wood in the right place”.

This book was produced by the Wood team of CIRAD’s BioWooEB Research Unit with financial support from the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). It is the product of thirty years of research in wood technology science, provided by numerous contributors. It was coordinated using version 7 of Tropix, released by CIRAD.