Treating durable, second-growth or plantation-grown material with supplemental chemicals could improve durability while enhancing the uniformity of the products. To test this hypothesis, the effect of two candidate biocide treatments on the durability of teak, redwood, and western redcedar was assessed in a ground proximity field test established in Hawaii....
While the heartwood of many wood species exhibits excellent resistance to fungal and insect attack, this resistance is sometimes diminished in second-growth material of the same species. The reasons for the reduced durability are unclear, but they may reflect a combination of both higher proportions of sapwood as well as...