This volume brings together a broad array of scientific expertise to focus on the characterization and utilization of cellulosic materials. Researchers from Austria, Germany, Sweden, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S. explore many facets of the plant cell wall, from its fundamental structure and its manipulation via molecular biology to its application in composite materials. Exciting applications of near infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, confocal microscopy, and molecular coupling as a viscoelastic probe provide new insights into the ultrastructure and properties of cellulosic materials.

Douglas D Stokke is Assistant Professor at Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, and is past president of the Society of Wood Science and Technology.

Leslie H. Groom is Project Leader for the Utilization of Southern Forest Resources Research Unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station.