Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
(continued)
the structural foundation of North American housing. And without sawn wood
there would have been no preindustrial transportation, either on land (wood was
used to construct vehicles from simple wheelbarrows to heavy wagons and fancy
carriages) or on water (the evolution of wooden vessels spans more than i ve
millennia)—and no affordable and leak-proof storage of liquids (in casks and
barrels). There would also have been no railroads: wood was always only a marginal
locomotive fuel compared to coal, but wooden ties (sleepers) were, and still are,
essential to distribute the load and maintain the gauge.
Higher disposable incomes mean that the ownership of wooden furniture is
more widespread than ever, with a typical Western family owing more than a score
(or two) of wooden chairs, tables, desks, beds, dressers, and stands (leaving aside
all those still very common wooden l oors). The only major difference between
