Wood Identification
We study the chemical and physical properties of wood and provide wood identification services.
Our research pinpoints the features of wood that can be used to identify materials from a variety of sources, such as archaeological specimens, forensic samples or newly imported timbers.
The UN Environment Programme estimates that nearly one-third of global logging is done illegally making wood identification an important resource and skill to authenticate and track timber in the modern, globalized trade of natural resources.
What we do
Research and Development (R&D)
Using light and electron microscopes to examine thin sections of wood, Kew’s wood anatomists study the structure of individual cells and their arrangement within stems and roots.
Mass spectrometry is used to uncover the chemical fingerprint of the wood which can be used to identify genus, species, and sometimes geography of the wood. Pairing mass spectrometry with wood anatomy creates a robust wood identification methodology.
Authentication
Identification and Authentication of wood materials used in the trade and for research.
- Wood products by chemical and anatomical analyses.
- Forensic enquiries (Identification of wood) – Tropical and domestic wood identification for regulatory agencies, industry, museums, and enthusiasts.
Contact us at WoodID@kew.org for more information.
Innovation
Our systematic research in wood anatomy, especially commercial timbers and particular families such as Leguminosae.
We study multidisciplinary approaches to wood identification to complement the limitations of individual methods for robust analyses.
Education
Annual one-week course demonstrating effective methods of recognising the distinguishing features of woods from different tree species.
Partnerships
The World Forest ID consortium is building the world’s largest geo-referenced, open source, forest sample collection.
With this collection a range of scientific methods are being used to confirm or challenge claims about the species and provenance of forest products, to tackle fraud, illegal logging and deforestation.
Resources available
Our research utilises analytical instruments including ambient ionization mass spectrometry and traditional wood anatomy tools.
Clients and partners have access to the world-renowned plant and fungal collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, specialist expertise in natural products as well as expert knowledge on the distribution of plants, their systematic relationships, their conservation status and sustainable supply.
Our collection includes access to:
- The incredibly diverse Living Collection of over 68,000 accessions (one or more living plant specimens that come from the same initial source) of over 27,000 taxa.
- Economic Botany collection with c.50,000 wood samples and objects.
- Microscope slide collection with c.40,000 slides of timbers.
- The Herbarium, which holds more than 8 million vouchers of plants and fungi (of which 1.3 million fungi are held in the Fungarium)
- The 2.4 billion seeds held at Millennium Seed Bank
As part of Kew we are committed to honouring the letter and spirit of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and we work in line the Nagoya Protocol and CITES.
Who we are:
Wood anatomists
Sarah Wilson
Analytical Chemist
Dr. Cady Lancaster
Forest Risk Commodity Specialists
Chess Ablett
Henry Jennings
Collections Management
More about the wood identification team
How Kew's wood experts solve crimes
The key role that wood identification plays in supporting the legal trade of timber
DNA tests and machine vision crack crime
Tree sleuths are using DNA tests and machine vision to crack timber crimes
Wood identification supports legal timber trade
The role Kew plays in an enormous international network