“…Attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique that has been successfully employed in characterisation of polymer structures and of polymer and wood degradation (Feist and Hon, 1984;Himmelsbach et al, 2006;Jelle et al, 2008;Jelle and Nilsen, 2011;Jelle et al, 2012;Jelle, 2012;Jelle, 2013;Korner et al, 1992;Rodrigues et al, 1998). Common FTIR bands for wood are provided in Table 1 (Faix, 1986;Faix, 1988;Feist and Hon, 1984;Himmelsbach et al, 2006;Hinterstoisser and Salmen, 1999;Jelle et al, 2008;Korner et al, 1992;Lewin and Goldstein, 1991;Pandey and Pitman, 2003;Robotti et al, 2007;Tolvaj and Faix, 1995).…”