Definition of "sapwood" [sap•wood]

• The newly formed outer wood located just inside the vascular cambium of a tree trunk and active in the conduction of water. Sapwood is usually lighter in color than heartwood. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The sapwood is probably removed within 100-200 years of study. ..sapwood is outer 20-150 avg 75 rings…."
• "The heartwood is a red or pinkish color, the sapwood, which is considerable, is a creamy white."
• "The sapwood is the external and youngest portion of the tree, and often constitutes a very considerable proportion of it."