Wood Science and Technology - Knocking Wood for a Career

If you have a keen interest in wood and a penchant for learning more and more about it, then Wood Science and Technology is the career you should be opting for. Wood Science and technology deals not only with wood, but also with its various types, its plantation, its procurement, its properties, its processing, the techniques applied in processing it and the different kinds of products fashioned from it.

In the words of the Director of the Institute of Wood Science and Technology, S.C. Joshi:

“To lessen the burden on forests and fulfill the demand for wood through rational utilization of plantation timbers” is the main aim of Wood Science and Technology.

It basically focusses on timber. All its elements and processes revolve around it. Its objective is to ensure that not only timber, but also its by-products are properly utilized. Wood Scientists and Technologists are provided training in the fields of wood anatomy, wood chemistry, wood physics, timber engineering, timber mechanics, preservation of wood, seasoning or drying of wood, working on wood which includes all the machining operations performed on timber, designing products of wood, wood finishing, wood microbiology, saw milling, timber entomology and the composition of wood.

People working in this trade, especially Wood Technologists can work as advisers to housing corporations, in the plywood industry or in the furniture industry. Those who are Wood Scientists have the option of becoming associated with some institute and start working as research scholars and conducting scientific studies on wood.

A Wood Scientist or Technologist is taught about the chemical properties of wood so that they can judge the durability and strength of any kind of wood. They provide valuable suggestions regarding the preservation of timber. The study of physical properties helps one figure out materials that can be used in place of wood. The study of Timber Mechanics enables the Wood Scientists and Technologists to implement the proper structural usage of wood.

One must start early, if they wish to make it big in this field. Science should be opted for at the class XII level and then one must go for a B.Sc. with Chemistry, Physics and Math or Forestry as the core subjects following which one must go for a degree in M.Sc. with Wood Science and Technology as the concentration. One needs to sit for an all-India level entrance exam and clear it to be able to enroll for the postgraduate degree. After completing M.Sc., some people also go for a Doctorate.

The selection of candidates for Wood Science and Technology is done by some universities on the basis of the results of a written entrance test, following which the shortlisted candidates are called for an interview. Institutes in India that offer courses in Wood Science and Technology are the Forest Research Institute University, Dehradun and the Kannur University, Kerala.

The pay scale of a Wood Scientist or Technologist lies between 10,000 INR to 20,000 INR per month at the entry level. As time goes by, the pay scale increases. At the middle level, it could be anything between 40,000 INR and 70,000 INR a month.