Decay Resistance of Saltwater-Exposed Douglas-Fir Piles

Authors

  • Philip F. Schneider
  • Camille M. Freitag
  • Jeffrey J. Morrell

Keywords:

Decay, Douglas-fir, heartwood, sapwood, piles, salt water

Abstract

Wood that is submerged in fresh water for long periods has increased permeability and other changed properties. Wood that is submerged in salt water may absorb considerable quantities of salts, which may render the wood resistant to microbial colonization. In this report, we describe decay tests on Douglas-fir sapwood and heartwood after long-term exposure in the Great Salt Lake of Utah. This wood was generally resistant to fungal attack, but was susceptible to leaching. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed that salt crystals in the wood were primarily sodium chloride, which was readily removed in a leaching procedure. Decay resistance attributed to saltwater exposure declined with prolonged leaching.

References

American Wood-Preservers' Association. 1995. Standard E10-91. Standard method of testing wood preservatives by laboratory soil-block cultures. Pages 288-298 in Annual Book of Standards. Woodstock, MD.nEllwood, E. L., and B. A. Ecklund. 1959. Bacterial attack of pine logs in pond storage. Forest Prod. J. 9:283-292.nEngineering Data Management. 1983. Material tests of stringers and pilings from the Southern Pacific Great Salt Lake Trestle. Unpublished report. EDM, Inc., Fort Collins, CO.nGraham, R. D., and M. E. Corden. 1980. Controlling biological deterioration of wood with volatile chemicals. Final Report EPRL EL-1480. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA.nHoyle, R. J. 1995. Review of the trestlewood strength and stiffness tests. Unpublished report. Lewiston, ID.nJohnson, B. R., R. E. Ibach, and A. J. Baker. 1992. Effect of salt water evaporation on tracheid separation from wood surfaces. Forest Prod. J. 42(7/8):57-59.nScheffer, T. C., and E. B. Cowling. 1966. Natural resistance of wood to microbial deterioration. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 4:147-170.nZabel, R. A., and J. J. Morrell. 1992. Wood microbiology: Decay and its prevention. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 478 pp.n

Downloads

Published

2007-06-19

Issue

Number 4 / October 1997

Section

Research Contributions

License

The copyright of an article published in Wood and Fiber Science is transferred to the Society of Wood Science and Technology (for U. S. Government employees: to the extent transferable), effective if and when the article is accepted for publication. This transfer grants the Society of Wood Science and Technology permission to republish all or any part of the article in any form, e.g., reprints for sale, microfiche, proceedings, etc. However, the authors reserve the following as set forth in the Copyright Law:

1. All proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights.

2. The right to grant or refuse permission to third parties to republish all or part of the article or translations thereof. In the case of whole articles, such third parties must obtain Society of Wood Science and Technology written permission as well. However, the Society may grant rights with respect to Journal issues as a whole.

3. The right to use all or part of this article in future works of their own, such as lectures, press releases, reviews, text books, or reprint books.