If Trees Could Talk

If Trees Could Talk

One of the best ways to learn about a tree is to look at its annual rings – the science of dendrochronology.  Tree rings show patterns of change in the tree’s life as well as changes in the area where it grows.  I shared with the class a cross-section of a Ponderosa Pine and a Western Hemlock.  We compared the bark and the growth rings of each and discussed how these rings could be used to tell stories of the trees past (fire or insect damage, years of drought or slow growth compared to years of abundant rain).

I then read aloud the following story about a tree and asked them the questions listed below to check for their understanding.

Once upon a time, a tree grew in the forest.  In its first 10 years it grew slowly because the large trees overhead blocked the sunlight.  In its 11th year, the large tree next to it blew down in a storm.  This allowed sunlight to reach the little tree, and for the next 10 years it grew rapidly.  In its 21st and 22nd years there was a severe drought, and the tree could not get enough water.  This stress caused the tree to grow very slowly for three years.  In its 25th year, favorable conditions returned and the tree grew normally for 15 years.  In its 40th year, wildfire raged through the forest.  The tree’s thick bark enabled it to survive, but it was deeply scarred.  It grew slowly for several years after that.  Year 45 was particularly bad.  Bark beetles got under its skin, fungus entered its body through woodpecker holes, and caterpillars ate most of its leaves.  For five years the tree hardly grew at all and became very weak. In its 50th year, it blew down in a storm.  A science teacher found the fallen tree and used a chain saw to make a big tree cookie from the trunk.

What do you think the tree cookie from this tree looked like?  Draw a picture of what you think the rings might appear.

Types of wood and disadvantages

Types of wood and disadvantages

1 - types of natural wood :

Timber is divided by a natural climatic zones to:

A - Woods soft dark color such as coniferous trees , including wood Sweden and grow in cold regions .

B - Woods medium hardness dark color , such as beech and oak wood and mahogany ... and grow in cold regions .

C - precious hardwoods such as oak and walnut , ebony and grow in the tropics . Prior to use, the use of any type of wood should be dried to reduce the percentage of water in it,

The types of drying :

1 - Altgfik steam and boiling water .

2 - drying ovens with natural air ducts .

3 - kiln drying with compressed air.

It consists of natural wood ( a section of the tree ) of the following :

Cortex , cambium , wood back, wood heart , the core , the annual rings , and the age of the tree is measured by the number of annual rings .

Defects timber :

Defects arise in the timber as a result of various factors, weather , and most important of these flaws :

1 - Contract: abound in softwood lumber such as wood white , and the node is a place contact the branch torso is notified that they may be separated during the work must therefore be removed machine that removed the contract, and they can be burned Beremus Incineration ( Babur ) .

2 - torsion : bends the branches as a result of the intensity of the movement of wind when the tree is small .

3 - rot : It is produced from the decomposition of materials Synovial in the tree.

4 - trauma : the faults appear in the cross section of the tree because of the drop at the cut trees and colliding heavily to the ground.

5 - aging : where it becomes the heart of the tree Ojoava and damage the wood part of the tree because of the delay in cutting the tree for a good time .

2 - Types of industrial timber :

A - sheets of plywood ( plywood ) : a layers the direction of the veins in the first layer perpendicular to the direction of the veins in the second layer , and plastered layers on top of each other with the pressure to ensure that no swollen when exposed to water , and not splitting panels when hammering nails in layers. And using a single number of layers least 3 layers , and each layer is called Ffinerh .

A picture of a wood and opposite note of its constituent layers

B - shingles latte :

Frequently used panels latte in the Household Furniture and Aalmketbi has many other uses .

The plates are divided into several types latte are:

1 - shingles latte in mass composed of strips of wood width not exceeding 25 mm and not less than 8 mm gathered and attached to a face -to-face and covered with sheets of double-sided natural wood .

2 - sheets of laminate latte : no more than a slide show for the 7 cm gathered and attached to a face -to-face to be a flat surface covered with sheets of double-sided natural wood .

3 - wood particleboard panels : in the form of sheets made ​​from a combination of grained wood adhesives with pressing and pressing .

4 - fibreboard : made ​​from a mixture of wood fibers and adhesives using heat and pressure .

5 - shingles plastics and melamine panels .

4 steps to take care of wooden furnishings

The wood material months and the most popular in the furniture industry , and is hardly devoid of any house

of wood furnishings , to the elegant appearance and ease of handling .

But the wood can be exposed to many of the factors that You damage , so it is necessary to take some necessary actions , especially when cleaning upholstery, these tips will help a group to handle , according to the Times of India :

1 - protect the wood from water and Alasarowalsoaúl and other remnants of foods and cosmetics , where that can be absorbed by the wood and leaves stains deformation appearance , plus they cause putrefaction with time.

2 - maintaining a clean wooden surfaces of the furniture from dust and dirt by using a vacuum cleaner for this purpose, or a piece of dry cloth cleaned out regularly , and for wood coated lacquer used teak oil for cleaning , and the surfaces of heavily soiled wet the cloth with warm water with cleaning fluid suitable and wipes by soiled areas and then dried immediately .

3 - can remove dirt , sticky spots such as tea, coffee, using a cloth wet in a simple rub Btalv then dried with a dry cloth , preferably experimentation on the part of the furniture hidden in the beginning.

4 - must paint the wood with wax or paint annually to maintain its luster , and helps to protect it from moisture and weather factors , and to prevent the accumulation of wax can be used to piece cloth dampened with mineral oil , and must protect the hands and eyes during coating, and can be used specialists to get the best results , especially in the details small .

Hard and soft woods

Hard and soft woods

There is a strong relationship between the properties of wood and the properties of the particular tree that yielded it. The density of wood varies with species. The density of a wood correlates with its strength (mechanical properties). For example, mahogany is a medium-dense hardwood that is excellent for fine furniture crafting, whereas balsa is light, making it useful for model building. One of the densest woods is black ironwood.

It is common to classify wood as either softwood or hardwood. The wood from conifers (e.g. pine) is called softwood, and the wood from dicotyledons(usually broad-leaved trees, e.g. oak) is called hardwood. These names are a bit misleading, as hardwoods are not necessarily hard, and softwoods are not necessarily soft. The well-known balsa (a hardwood) is actually softer than any commercial softwood. Conversely, some softwoods (e.g. yew) are harder than many hardwoods.

Color

Color

In species which show a distinct difference between heartwood and sapwood the natural color of heartwood is usually darker than that of the sapwood, and very frequently the contrast is conspicuous (see section of yew log above). This is produced by deposits in the heartwood of chemical substances, so that a dramatic color difference does not mean a dramatic difference in the mechanical properties of heartwood and sapwood, although there may be a dramatic chemical difference.

Some experiments on very resinous Longleaf Pine specimens indicate an increase in strength, due to the resin which increases the strength when dry. Such resin-saturated heartwood is called "fat lighter". Structures built of fat lighter are almost impervious to rot and termites; however they are very flammable. Stumps of old longleaf pines are often dug, split into small pieces and sold as kindling for fires. Stumps thus dug may actually remain a century or more since being cut. Spruce impregnated with crude resin and dried is also greatly increased in strength thereby.

The wood of Coast Redwood is distinctively red in color

Since the latewood of a growth ring is usually darker in color than the earlywood, this fact may be used in judging the density, and therefore the hardness and strength of the material. This is particularly the case with coniferous woods. In ring-porous woods the vessels of the early wood not infrequently appear on a finished surface as darker than the denser latewood, though on cross sections of heartwood the reverse is commonly true. Except in the manner just stated the color of wood is no indication of strength.

Abnormal discoloration of wood often denotes a diseased condition, indicating unsoundness. The black check in western hemlock is the result of insect attacks. The reddish-brown streaks so common in hickory and certain other woods are mostly the result of injury by birds. The discoloration is merely an indication of an injury, and in all probability does not of itself affect the properties of the wood. Certain rot-producing fungi impart to wood characteristic colors which thus become symptomatic of weakness; however an attractive effect known as spalting produced by this process is often considered a desirable characteristic. Ordinary sap-staining is due to fungal growth, but does not necessarily produce a weakening effect.

Health insurance shock shoppers sticker suffer

Health insurance shock shoppers sticker suffer

"It's a horribly complex and ill-designed system that's going to be good for some people - 

mostly people with lower incomes - but for a lot of people, it's not going to be good for them," 

said Jeff Francisco health insurance agent who supports universal coverage but believes the law doesn't go far enough to help consumers and curb costs."Every plan is going to cost more than what I pay now. And what I pay now is ridiculous," said Ross, 47, who owns a cat-sitting business called y and pays more than $400 a month for her insurance. "It's a great thing for some people, but it's certainly not helping me."

the Affordable Care Act because she was hoping to get a better deal.

Ross is among the millions of Americage on their own, but must find new coverage because the health law has rendered their current policies outdated. But Ross, like many others, is not finding the plans sold through the Affordable Care Act to be particularly affordable.

Aside from a prohibition on denying coverage to people with pre-existing medical conditions beginning Jan. 1, the health law also rlicies sold next year to cover a minimum number of benefits. And that can add to the cemiums.

These include such mandamaternity and newborn care, substance abuse treatment, and dental 

But now that she's seen her options, Ross is disappointed. Turns out she earns slightly too much money to qualify for federal financial aid to help her buy coverage in the state's exchange, called Covered California. And because policies have to be upgraded to comply with the new law, her rates are going up nearly 10 percent.

Laminate Flooring Is An Alternative To “Real” Wood

If your home maintenance projects have led you to the conclusion that some of your finish floor covering needs to be replaced, then take a look at laminate flooring….it is durable alternative to wood that is worthy of consideration. This Raleigh Home Inspector installed some laminate flooring in his own home; after six years, its performance and durability are proving to be quite satisfactory.

(ARA) – You love the look of natural wood flooring but are afraid to install hardwood because you know the floor will take a beating from the kids, dogs and the heavy day-to-day traffic all too common in modern family life.

But you don’t have to sacrifice high style looks for boring sensibility when considering a new flooring option in your home – not if you choose laminate, that is.

Today’s best laminates combine the realistic grain and texture of wood with high durability and scratch and indentation resistance that “authentic” wood floors don’t provide, according to Jeff Katz, director – laminate for Tarkett Residential, a leading provider of innovative and sustainable flooring. And not only are today’s laminates available at a fraction of the cost of real wood floors, but they’re right in sync with the latest designs.

“There’s always a new decorating trend around the corner,” Katz says. “It’s imperative for manufacturers to respond to market demand, keeping up with the most up-to-date trends to ensure consumers are getting the latest in style and design, as well as technology.”

One such line is Tarkett’s Trends laminate, a durable new collection featuring eight of the hottest flooring designs, including Old World-inspired antique-stained planks and soft, hand scraped wood grains. Colors and styles in this line will continually rotate out with new introductions to give homeowners the newest, most popular looks in flooring, ultimately providing them with the high style of premium wood floors without the fuss.

“That’s the beauty of laminate products,” Katz says. “They’re the new normal – great-looking products that deliver great performance at a great value.

When shopping for laminate products consumers should look for flooring that is engineered with sturdy inner core board layers – preferably ones that deliver high impact resistance (at least an IC3 rating). This type of rating helps provide excellent indentation resistance, and when combined with highly rated top surface protection (AC3 or better) kids and pets can run and play freely on laminate floors without making a dent or marring up the surface’s good looks. As a result, laminate flooring is so durable versus real wood products that some laminates come with up to a full lifetime warranty.

What’s more, creating a laminate flooring transformation in your home is a relatively simple DIY project. Many of today’s new laminate floors come in easy-to-install planks that simply snap together without the need for messy glue or nails to pound. Laminates can even be used over several types of existing flooring, often eliminating the need for costly sub-floor preparation.

“Consumers now have the choice of selecting laminate floor innovations that provide excellent performance and value, while also reflecting and accommodating their changing tastes,” Katz says. “Laminate flooring solutions keep up with their day-to-day life. That’s something we know will never go out of style.” For more information about the latest trends in laminate flooring, visit www.tarkettna.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

For a Raleigh Home Inspection, call Quality Residential Inspections to schedule today……919.848.4833. We provide Home Inspections, and related ancillary services e.g. Radon testing and water testing, to the greater Triangle region of North Carolina to include Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Wake Forest, Clayton, Garner, and Durham.