Question: what are the characteristics of good timber?
Answer: Hardness. A good quality timber should be hard enough to resist deterioration.
Strength. It should have sufficient strength to resist heavy structural loads.
Toughness. It should have enough toughness to resist shocks due to vibrations. ... 
Elasticity. ... 
Durability. ... 
Defects. ... 
Fibres and Structure. ... 
Appearance and Colour.