Wood modified by several methods has been tested for seven years in a marine field with high marine borer activity. Several wood modification methods were included, e.g. thermal modification (with different processes), acetylation, maleoylation, succinylation, furfurylation, treatment with methylated melamine resin and modification with reactive linseed oil derivative. Furthermore, some combinations of modification methods were also included, e.g. acetylation followed by treatment with MMF resin. The wood species used for all treatments was Scots pine. The testing, according to European Standard EN 275, was done in a bay on the Swedish west coast. The marine borer (mainly Teredo navalis) activity at the test site is very high, always resulting in failure of control specimens within a year. Many of the modification methods result in modified wood with poor resistance to marine borers. In some cases the modified wood samples seemed even more severely attacked than the controls. However, other methods (furfurylation, MMF-treatment and acetylation followed by MMF-treatment) seem to provide excellent resistance to borer attack.

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