Thermal treatment is a method which has gained wider acceptability as an alternative to the chemical treatment in wood preservation. In order to maximize the benefits of this technique several options have been adopted including the use of soy oil in transferring the heat to the wood. Available information on thermal treatment in general and the oil method in particular show that there are still need for further investigations on the possibilities of improving the available options in order to evolve new techniques. Thermal treatment of three wood species of commercial importance in Canada and North America in general was carried out at in different combinations of soy oil, slack wax and cobalt stain medium. The effect of chemical additives in soy oil during thermal treatment depends on both wood species and the type of additives. The slack wax generally has higher impacts than the cobalt stain and black spruce (Picea mariana) shows more consistent response to the effects of the chemical additives.

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