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Forest Products Laboratory
One Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726-2398
Phone: (608) 231-9200
Fax: (608) 231-9592
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Effective utilization of naturally durable wood biomass offers an overlooked source of potential wood protectants

The stakes in the image are southern pine pressure treated with extractives of naturally durable wood species. These stakes have been installed in ground contact in Mississippi and Wisconsin and will be evaluated for the next 10 years.
The stakes in the image are southern pine pressure treated with extractives of naturally durable wood species. These stakes have been installed in ground contact in Mississippi and Wisconsin and will be evaluated for the next 10 years.
Snapshot: Forest Service researchers at the Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisc., are evaluating extractives as potential next-generation wood preservatives. This bio-rational approach offers environmentally friendly alternatives to wood preservatives and provides a utilization platform for underutilized and invasive wood species.
Summary:

Since 2010, researchers in wood durability and protection at the Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory have been evaluating extractives of naturally durable wood species and the potential to protect non-durable wood species. Several wood species studied have been shown to have desirable antifungal, insecticidal, and antiprotozoal effects. Laboratory tests identified several candidate species that have been scaled up into long-term field studies in Wisconsin and southern Mississippi.. Effective extractive utilization provides an innovative way to use woody biomass that isn't always suitable for material applications and could also be incorporated into biomass energy conversion to improve process efficiency. In addition to North American wood species, the researchers also partnered with university affiliates at the Agricultural University of Faisalabad in Lahore, Pakistan, to provide similar solutions for their underutilized durable wood species.		Princpal Investigator(s):
 Kirker, Grant T.
 Mankowski, Mark
 Bishell, Amy
 Lebow, Patricia
 Arango, Rachel


Research Location:
  • Forest Products Laboratory


External Partners:
  • Agricultural University of Faisalabad, Lahore, Pakistan

Fiscal Year: 2017
Highlight ID: 1298
 
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