The standard ENV 12037 for testing of treated and untreated wood (lap-joint) exposed above ground was issued in 1996 by The European Committee for Standardization. A draft for the development of the standard was presented by CEN-TC 38/WG 25/DOC N 076 in 2002. For a test to become valid the median rating of decay for untreated control replicates (Scots pine sapwood) must be equal or greater than 3.0. This paper presents results from a number of above ground tests in Uppsala, Sweden with untreated Scots pine sap- and heartwood, untreated European and Siberian larch heartwood as well as Scots pine sapwood treated with the reference preservatives TBTO and CCA. The untreated Scots pine sapwood demonstrated median decay rating of 3.0 after 6 to 7 years of exposure and an average service life in the range 6.5-8.5 years. Scots pine heartwood achieved median rating of decay 2.0 after 10 to 11 years and larch had median rating of decay 1.0 after 7 to 9 years of exposure. The median rating of decay for the reference preservatives TBTO and CCA was still 0 after 10 years of exposure.

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