5. Conclusion

The various products derived from wood are manufactured using all possible sizes and granulometries of the original material, from plank to fiber, and it is unlikely that new types of material will be developed. On the other hand, changes are taking place in manufacturing processes (more ecological, less energy-consuming), raw material sources (use of wood industry by-products, small woods) and adhesives (lower formaldehyde emissions).

Examples of material combinations leading to lighter, less raw-material-intensive elements with identical performance (I-beams, caissons, etc.) are likely to multiply.

For ecological and economic reasons linked to dwindling oil resources, the use of adhesives of natural origin is set to increase: glues based on gluten or soybean oil, improving their performance for more structural uses, tannin- and lignin-based...