This publication is for those who are concerned with the identification of wood samples and the fibre constituents of paper and paper products, an ability essential for anyone in the pulp industry. In determining the quality of a paper product, the inherent properties of wood are as importantand, if not more so, than the pulping process and other mill treatments to which the wood subjected. Besides wood, a large number of nonwoody fibres find their way into paper products and it is equally important to be able to identify these as well as the woody fibres.

This book brings together what are considered the most useful wood and fibre features for the purposes of indentification. In the first section separate keys are given for the identification of both softwood and hardwood pulps and wood samples. The keys distinguish between different tree genera or dissimilar groups of species within the same genus. The diagnostic features of all commercial pulpwoods have been numbered, defined and illustrated, with a total of 88 photomicrographs, and instructions are given on how to prepare a sample and proceed with its examination and subsequent identification.

The second section of the book deals with the identification of 28 natural nonwoody and 9 man-made fibres. The features of the individual fibres as well as the results of staining and solubility tests, where applicable, are described in detail. Ninety-five photomicrographs illustrate this section which includes an identification key summarizing the useful features of these fibres.