Wood and Timber Science

Wood is one of the oldest building materials still in use today. Because it is a natural material, its properties vary from species to species and from one direction to another within a single piece of wood.

For this reason, very few people really understand why wood checks, splits, warps, twists, cups, shrinks, swells, decays and erodes. However, with a good understanding of wood cell structure, any movement can be explained, and often damage can be prevented.

Whether you need analysis of a small individual piece of wood, assessment of the condition of an existing structure, or structural engineering for new construction, renovation, or preservation, the engineers at WERC have the expertise to handle your project.

WERC provides specialized structural engineering for heavy timber construction and repair designs for conventional light-frame wood construction.

WERC engineers have conducted research and testing on traditional all-wood joinery, conventional metal plate and dowel fastener connections, and wood preservative and species identification.

The engineers at Western Engineering have expertise in the following investigations:

• Wood structure and utility pole failures
• Fire and impact damage
• Historic structure assessment
• Wood species identification
• Lumber sorting and grading
• Wood and water interactions
• Moisture content testing and analyses
• Shrinkage and swelling
• Biological and environmental eeterioration
• Mold, mildew, and decay
• Termite and insect damage
• UV exposure
• Weathering and hail damage

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