Consumer Applications: From Sap to Homes

Here is a micron-size cube from the wood of an Elm tree. This miniscule cube was scanned to study the three-dimensional vessel structure and the micro-scale morphology of the wood. Wood scans can also be used to model sap-flow simulations, to study fungus development, and even to model the penetration of paint layers.

Photo credit: Kathy Steppe, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ghent University