The utilization of wood reflects the evolution of social development and human civilization. This is not only documented in extensive literature but is also frequently corroborated by important new evidence from archaeological findings and cultural heritage. Xylonarchaeology has received significant attention from governmental agencies in China. Recently, the joint research project (2026) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Cultural Heritage Administration was launched. This project focuses on the precise species identification of wooden artifacts, innovative conservation technologies, and performance evaluation techniques. 

Researchers engaged in this field are primarily affiliated with research institutions and universities, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Nanjing University, the Research Institute of Wood Industry (Chinese Academy of Forestry), Nanjing Forestry University, and Southwest Forestry University.

Over the past three years, Chinese researchers have made significant progress in the identification and conservation of wooden artifacts from ancient tombs, shipwrecks, and other archaeological sites.

(1) New findings in xylonarchaeology provide direct evidence for reconstructing the history of Chinese civilization. Among China's Top 10 Archaeological Discoveries of 2025, Liu et al. reported 35 wooden tools (Pinus spp.) from the 300,000-year-old Gantangqing site in southwestern China. These wooden implements were likely designed to obtain and process plant foods rather than for hunting. This discovery suggests that wooden tools played a crucial role in hominin survival in Middle Pleistocene East Asia. Additionally, an 8,000-year-old wooden coffin found at the Jiahu site in Henan Province represents the earliest known wooden burial furniture in China and East Asia. This discovery has rewritten the history of funeral rituals in China.

(2) Interdisciplinary collaboration further refines the spatiotemporal characteristics of archaeological wood. Xylonarchaeology integrates methods in wood science, paleontology, paleoclimatology, genetics, and dendrochronology. These methods reveal ancient wood utilization patterns, clarify relationships between woody plants, and help reconstruct paleoenvironments. Scientists from the Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, have promoted new progress in the cross-disciplinary fields of "Molecular archaeology of wood ". By integrating wood anatomy, genomics, and chemical spectroscopy, they can precisely identify tree species in archaeological wood. A research team from Nanjing University developed a method using oxygen isotope cross-dating of tree rings. This achieved, for the first time, a precise AD 670-year chronology for archaeological wood spanning from the Spring and Autumn period to the Western Han Dynasty in the lower Yangtze region.

The Key Laboratory of Archaeological Science (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) used dendrochronology and C-14 dating to identify two tree branches from the Yuyao Shi'ao site (approx. 2520 BC, Liangzhu Culture) as ancient Myrica rubra (Red Bayberry) trees. This confirms the long history of the bayberry and its origin in Yuyao.

(3) Multi-technology integration creates innovative conservation methods. To address the challenges of high moisture content and brittleness in waterlogged wood, researchers employed static thermomechanical analysis to develop a micro-destructive method for testing bending strength. Furthermore, techniques such as supercritical CO2 drying and impregnation with polyethylene glycol and resins have effectively solved problems related to severe degradation and deformation in excavated wood. 

In summary, xylonarchaeology integrates multidisciplinary theory and advanced technology to reveal the history of human wood utilization. It is of great significance for deducing environmental changes, exploring human social development, and enriching human culture.