Formaldehyde (CH₂O) is an important chemical widely used by the forest products industry as a cross-linking agent in plywood and particleboard adhesives, as an ingredient in flameretardant treatments, and as a substance to enhance wet strength, shrink resistance, and other desirabie properties of paper. However, during production and use, formaldehyde products mayemit irritating vapors such as the continuous low-level emissions from urea resin. Methods to detect and quantify formaldehyde are needed to monitor environmental emissions and to design and prepare products such as adhesive resins. In this paper are discussed classical methods in formaldehyde analysis, as well as recent developments not previously reviewed. The authors focus on the quantification of formaldehyde in aqueous mixtures also containing wood adhesive components (such as phenolic monomers and polymers) and model compounds (representing the lignins and condensed tannins). -- AATA