The present volume, Xylem Structure and the Ascent of Sap by M. H. Zimmermann, very appropriately inaugurates the Springer Series in Wood Science, an enterprise recently initiated in the belief that wood and related forest products at this time have attained a new importance as renewable resources available in vast quantities. The scope of the series is intended to be wide, and virtually all aspects of wood science and technology will be considered. Topics will include the structure of wood and bark and the chemistry of their various components, the physical and mechanical properties of wood, its formation and biodegradation, the processing of forest products, the utilization of the forest biomass, and the manufacture of pulp and paper. Some of the volumes in this series are intended to be textbooks, but most will be monographs concerned with a limited subject area that will be treated in depth. The majority will have only one author. The books will be written by recognized experts, and will reflect the most recent information available. It is my hope that they will serve the purpose of drawing attention to wood, one of the most remarkable and useful of all natural materials.
