Comparison of the large-size wood defects in the European Union countries normalization

Scots pine wood is widely used in many branches of the wood industry. The possibility to select the raw material quality according to the specific processing needs corresponding to different uses is related with the issues of the standardisation, which comprises classification based both on the dimensions of processed assortments as well as their defects and traits of anatomical construction. In the last two decades of economic transformations in Poland, there has been increasing importance of the standardisation process because of the trade between the European Union (EU) member−states. EU−membership involved gradual adjustment to the rules of round wood trade, which are applicable in the old EU member−states. Many international certification institutions as well as the Polish Committee for Standardisation were involved in the process of standardisation. The experience of northern and western European countries generated a very complex classification system, which partly matched the national standards. There are differences in the description of Scots pine wood characteristics and defects in the domestic standards and technical conditions concerning this timber trade, which is of key importance to the Polish wood industry