Naphthenates have been used for the preservation of timber and cellulose since their original identification in Russia in the early 1880's as part of a series of petroleum characterizations. Later work in the development of copper naphthenate as a heavy-duty preservative for poles led to the development of various treating cycles similar to other oil-borne systems. Recent work concerning the post treatment steam conditioning of copper naphthenate treated southern pine has determined that some amorphous copper naphthenate is converted to a crystalline cuprous oxide. In small laboratory tests, this was later determined to be less efficacious than copper naphthenate. This paper reviews the performance of actual pole-diameter stubs placed in a high hazard location containing both termites and potential for early decay attack. Various treating cycles were used to treat the pole stubs in this test including various post-treatment conditioning methods.

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