Roundup Record Tribune & Winnett Times -

Marshall Swearingen, MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — Tiny air pockets interspersed in wood's cellular structure are what cause it to float. They also produce the satisfying crackle when wood is burned. But when wood is turned into structural lumber — the material's most widespread and valued use — the air pockets become a source of weakness.

That's why a Montana State University researcher is trying to fill the tiny voids — using equally tiny particles — in order to improve the material's strength, contributing to a trend of using wood instead of metal for beams in high-rises and other...