By 2000, it is estimated that this will have shrunken considerably. Wood has many desirable properties. It is relatively inexpensive, available, is esthetically attractive, a poor conductor of noise, heat, and electrical current, easily worked, and endures for long periods. Wood is also used to manufacture many other substances, e.g., paper, cork, and rayon.
Much wood is used as plywoods and veneers.
Woods can be identified by keys. Secondary xylem and phloem are produced by the vascular cambium. The accumulation of xylem in plants is called wood. These cells are impregnated with lignin and, as they mature, are dead and cease to function in conductance. The annual production of new xylem cells leads to the production of rings.