Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James and Danielle James

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James. Briza Publications. Pretoria, South Africa 2016. ISBN 9781920217587 / ISBN 978-1-920217-58-7

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James. Briza Publications. Pretoria, South Africa 2016. ISBN 9781920217587 / ISBN 978-1-920217-58-7

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James. Briza Publications. Pretoria, South Africa 2016

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James. Briza Publications. Pretoria, South Africa 2016

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood. ISBN 9781920217587

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood. ISBN 9781920217587

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood. ISBN 978-1-920217-58-7

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood. ISBN 978-1-920217-58-7

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood is a fully illustrated, scientifically accurate guide to the characteristics, properties and uses of wood from 140 Southern African tree species.

Southern Africa is the southernmost region of the African continent and is variously defined by geography or geopolitics. In the context of Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James and Danielle James, it includes the countries south of the Cunene and Zambezi Rivers, which include the Republic of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. Southern Africa has a rich and diverse botanical heritage, arguably the richest in the world, and boasts some 22000 plant species. Even when the notable Cape Floristic Kingdom is excluded. Southern Africa still has the highest recorded plant species density, in comparison with similar-sized areas in other parts of the world. It has a species/area ratio that is nearly double that of Brazil, which is also species-rich. In terms of woody species, or species that could be classified as trees, the Southern African subcontinent has some 2100 indigenous species, with South Africa having about 1300, about two-thirds of which grow on the eastern seaboard - where all three authors happen to live! However, very few of these species are utilised by woodworkers and fewer still are used commercially, for reasons which are explained in the Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James. It is interesting to note how this book came about. Stephanie Dyer grew up with wood, as her grandfather, father, mother and uncle all worked for the Department of Forestry, and she has had a career in wood, doing both research and training. She now runs her own business, called "Timber Information Services", offering a wood identification and timber information service. Over the years, many people have encouraged her to write a book. On the other hand, Barry and Danielle James felt the need for such a book when they started a business harvesting, processing and selling indigenous wood, after a private game reserve client, in Zululand, asked Barry what could be done with the wood from trees pushed over by elephants. They found that there was little information available to assist them. Needing to have some wood identified, they met Stephanie and often discussed with her the need for a book on indigenous wood. The combination of Stephanie's academic training, knowledge and experience with wood, and Barry and Danielle's practical, hands-on knowledge of wood and the wood business, as well as Barry's ecological training and experience, gave them the courage to tackle this project. The Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James is presented in a "coffee-table book"format and is written in a conversational style, with the technical data presented alongside comments from wood users. The book aims to satisfy a wide range of people, from the professional woodworker, designer, architect and wood dealer, to the hobbyist and those who simply love trees and wood and will enjoy thumbing through the pages and enjoying the beauty and diversity of the wood presented in it. One of the features that make this book unique is the photographs presented for each species. Apart from the worked items, it was decided to include a bark photograph in the species accounts, since wood users often only see the tree in log form and the bark can be a useful guide to identification. In order to show the wood in an untreated and treated form, side grain photographs were included for each species. [...]

This is an excerpt from Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood, by Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James.

Title: Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood
Authors: Stephanie Dyer, Barry James, Danielle James
Publisher: Briza Publications
Pretoria, South Africa 2016
ISBN 9781920217587 / ISBN 978-1-920217-58-7
Hardcover, 28 x 21 cm, 336 pages, over 700 full-colour photographs and distribution maps

Dyer, Stephanie und James, Barry und James, Danielle im Namibiana-Buchangebot

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African wood

Guide to the properties and uses of Southern African Wood introduces to the characteristics, properties and uses of wood from 140 Southern African tree species.