Out of a total of 150 sq. miles of Govt managed forests of Sylhet, 65 sq. miles-may be classed as nahrral -bamboo forests, aa the crop in these areas is composed of almost pure bamboos. These Forests are typically located between the rivers Kushiyara to the north and Dholai to the south in three compact blocks, all touching
the Eastern boundary of the District with India. The location  falls between 24.3° and 24.8°N latitude and between 92° & 92.3°E longitude.

Air drying is an important mode of seasoning timber in Bangladesh where sawnjill owners and lumber dealers can hardly afford to possess modern dry kilns. Due to lack of adequate knowledge and absence of proper drying schedule, the method is not being practised effectively to get the best result. It is, therefore, considered ‘partinent to study the air drying characteristics of some of the important wood species of Bangladesh.

The establishment of efficient drying schedules for various species is dependent upon the rate at which a given species loses moisture. This is, also, affected by the drying condition existing in a particular region at any given time of the year. The present paper deals with the rate of moisture loss and air drying time of 10 indigenous wood species of Bangladesh under two conditions of exposure.