The large number of species usually found in tropical rain forests has been frequently mentioned as one of the main obstacles to a better utilization of wood as a construction material in developing countries. This paper describes two examples of how the knowledge about anatomical features and technological properties, together with an adequate quality controle scheme, made possible greater utilization of Amazon species. One of these examples is the production of sleepers for the Estrada de Ferro Carajás (Carajás Rail Road), 890 km (560 miles) long that used about 2.1 million cross ties; the is the use of sawn timber in low cost housing in the State of São Paulo, built under the supervision of State Housing Companies - COHABs.
Amazonian woods; Crossties; Housing; Quality Control