The chemical modification of wood using straight chain alkyl anhydrides can considerably enhance its durability. This paper presents an assessment of the effectiveness of these modifiers in improving the biological resistance of a susceptible softwood when exposed to four different basidiomycete fungi, soft rots and the larvae of the house longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus). It was clear that some of the standard tests were inappropriate for the testing of chemically modified timber products because the procedures relied upon the wood achieving relatively high moisture contents. Nevertheless, the data overall did indicate that resistance to biological attack could be enhanced through chemical modification. Suggestions are made for the development of test methods that can be applied to chemically modified wood and wood polymer composites of low hygroscopicity.

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