The soil-bed/small stake test is commonly used for rapidly evaluating the performance of new, more environmentally acceptable, preservatives. In a 1.5 year experiment with three copper-based waterborne preservatives, visual evaluation and probing using the IUFRO performance rating scale (0-4) gave very similar toxic thresholds to those derived from measurement of weight loss at the end of the experiment. Visual evaluation therefore appears to be a reliable indicator for comparing the performance of these copper-based waterborne preservatives. However, caution should be exercised in interpreting performance rating data as the stakes approach failure.

Download document (393 kb)
free for the members of IRG. Available if purchased.

Purchase this document