A board material made from pressed bark, with no added adhesive, has been developed by Forintek's composites group and tested for durability by Forintek's treated-wood group and the University of Hawaii. This material was also manufactured with veneers in a one-step process. Since one role of bark on the tree is protection against pests and diseases, barkboard was expected to have some natural durability. Samples from the first boards made, were therefore subjected to a two-hour boil test, a soil-block test, a soil-bed test and two-choice and no-choice termite tests. Preliminary findings suggest that barkboard is dimensionally stable and has considerable natural durability against brown rot, white rot, soft rot, and the Formosan subterranean termite. This durability can be partially transferred into veneer in a one-step pressing process and is virtually unaffected by leaching. More work will be required to fully define the natural durability of barkboard, with and without veneer.

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