This study investigated the suitability of vibration techniques to assess the performance of wood preservatives in ground contact. Small stakes (10 x 5 x 100 mm3) of treated and untreated Scots pine sapwood were exposed to decay in lab-scale terrestrial ecosystems. Tests were conducted using three different soils including a garden compost soil, and soils obtained from a test field and a conifer forest in Sweden. Wood decay was monitored regularly for one year by determining wood mass losses. Also, strength losses were calculated from the dynamic modulus of elasticity (MOE) of sound and exposed wood specimens as determined by vibration measurements. The results of this study show that the MOE-dynamic losses for the different preservatives and environments have a very good correlation with mass losses. The limited efficiency of some preservatives in an aggressive environment (garden compost soil) was observed. The determination of dynamic modulus of elasticity seems to offer a good basis for assessing the performance of wood preservatives in laboratory soil tests.

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