INTRODUCTION

Timber is a product of wood from felled trees suitable for construction purposes. Timber is one of the oldest and natural civil engineering construction materials. Three terms pertinent to timber one of interest. They are:

1. Converted timber – This is the timber that is sawn and cut into required sizes for commercial use.
2. Rough timber – This is the timber that is obtained after felling a tree.
3. Standing timber – This is the timber that is in a living stage.

Wood, as a building material, has a number of valuable properties, viz., relatively high strength, low bulk density, low heat conductivity and amenability to mechanical working.

Despite its remarkable uses, wood has several shortcomings, viz., different strengths because of anisotropy, susceptibility to decay and inflammability.

Properties of timber and timber-based products as a building material are discussed in the subsequent sections.