Unit of Study FORS5003 Wood Science and Utilisation (2025)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit type

PG Coursework Unit
Credit points

12
Faculty & College

Faculty of Science and Engineering
Placement

No

Anti-requisites

FORS2005 - Wood Science and Utilisation

Enrolment information

There will be a three-day compulsory residential for all students (Online and On-campus) that will be held on the Lismore campus. Please refer to http://www.scu.edu.au/timetables for further information on timetables.

Unit description

Develops advanced knowledge of wood science with particular reference to relationships between wood structure, chemistry, properties and performance in service.

Unit content

Topic 1: Advanced wood chemistry
Topic 2: Chemical modification of wood
Topic 3: Wood formation processes
Topic 4: Taxonomy and wood anatomy
Topic 5: Chemistry of natural durability
Topic 6: Timber engineering

Availabilities

Not currently available in 2025

Learning outcomes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

demonstrate a high level of understanding of the chemistry of wood and the products of chemical modification

demonstrate a high level of understanding of wood formation processes, from the primary products of photosynthesis to the formation of xylem

recognise the broad anatomical character of key genera of important commercial hardwoods and softwoods

demonstrate an understanding of the chemical properties of various wood extractives, how these may be isolated and their contribution to durability to bio degradation

demonstrate an understanding of the mechanical properties of wood and how wood is graded to provide performance data for designers and architects.

Fee information

Domestic

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