Comprehensive overview of FPL field testing conducted in the tropics (1945-2005)

Grant T. Kirker; Stan Lebow; Mark E. Mankowski

Treesearch

Comprehensive overview of FPL field testing conducted in the tropics (1945-2005)

Informally Refereed

Authors:

Grant T. Kirker, Stan Lebow, Mark E. Mankowski

Year:

2016

Type:

Paper

Station:

Forest Products Laboratory

Source:

2016 Proceedings of the American Wood Protection Association. American Wood Protection Association: 210-217.

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Abstract

Tropical exposure often represents a more severe environment for treated wood and wood based products. Accelerated tropical decay rates are typically attributed to higher mean rainfall and temperatures. The Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, WI has been conducting tropical field tests in a variety of locations since the early 1940’s. This paper summarizes FPL tests conducted in the tropics from 1945-2005 and discusses some of the difficulties in assessing tropical field data. Where appropriate, test results from tropical sites are contrasted with field data from temperate and sub-tropical exposure in the continental United States.

Keywords

tropical field testing, wood decay fungi, termite damage, above ground decay, below ground decay, Scheffer index

Citation

Kirker, Grant T.; Lebow, Stan L.; Mankowski, Mark E. 2016. Comprehensive overview of FPL field testing conducted in the tropics (1945-2005). In: 2016 Proceedings of the American Wood Protection Association. American Wood Protection Association: 210-217.