My fascination with wood identification represents a nexus of several of my life long interests. Botany, practical craftsmanship, and just plain old curiosity.
Include here also an intolerance of the inaccuracy with which terms for different woods were, and in fact still are, used.

This all became much more important when I began to become interested in historical restoration.
Now I had to be really sure what exact species of wood I was dealing with, something which, it became apparent was not an easy thing to establish.
I’ve written about this in the Flutemaker blog, HERE and HERE and have also contributed a paper to a Galpin Society conference on the subject.
There are a couple of very useful and informative websites which you’ll find HERE and HERE.