Edge-notched cards for the identification of 30 woods traded in Colombia
| Authors: | Jeimy Blanco-Flórez, Rafael Arévalo, Joshua M. Limbaugh, Alex C. Wiedenhoeft |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Type: | Research Note |
| Station: | Forest Products Laboratory |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2737/FPL-RN-432 |
| Source: | Res. Note FPL-RN-432. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory |
Abstract
Wood anatomical information on 30 of the most common commercial species of wood in Colombia is presented as a set of edge-notched cards designed for field wood identification. Wood specimens from the xylaria in the Center for Wood Anatomy Research of the Forest Products Laboratory—the Madison Wood Collection (MADw) and the Samuel J. Record Memorial Wood Collection (SJRw)—were used as references for the descriptions and imaging. The cards present macroscopic anatomical characteristics—such as vessel distribution, parenchyma types, and ray size and arrangement—and images of similar or confusable woods and characteristics to separate them. Edge-notched cards for wood identification are a reliable and simple analog tool. They are straightforward to use and can enhance the learning experience of wood identification for non-expert personnel. The card set is flexible and can be easily expanded by adding new cards. A print-ready PDF can be downloaded from the link on the Treesearch landing page for this publication: https://doi.org/10.2737/FPL-RN-432. The publication includes instructions in English and Spanish for printing and preparing the cards.
Download wood identification cards (PDF, 29 MB)