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I was wondering if it's possible to find out if the wood of the table I bought is from the same tree of the chair in the same set. Most likely not, but I was wondering if it's theoretically possible to get the DNA from both and compare them.

How long does DNA last in wood to the point that it's still useful for DNA comparisons? Are we talking about days, months, years, maybe longer?

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    $\begingroup$ I initially read the title as “a wood” and started wonder what crime was being covered up! $\endgroup$
    – Tim
    Aug 10, 2022 at 7:35
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    $\begingroup$ Even if you can get DNA, it might not be useful. I think in a lot of commercial situations trees are propagated by cuttings, which means two different trees could be genetic clones. $\endgroup$
    – Tim Seguine
    Aug 10, 2022 at 10:13

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DNA can remain intact in wood, enough to perform useful identification, for centuries (this study had success with wood from ~1300 AD). However, successfully extracting DNA from the wood may be difficult, depending on the species, age, cut, and preservation.

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