IRG Documents Database and Compendium


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Detection of defects in standing poles by X-ray techniques
1980 - IRG/WP 2132
The application of X-ray techniques to wood pole inspection procedures has been evaluated. Internal defects were accurately identified using X-ray inspection methods. These methods and their possible influence on the safety and economic aspects of wood pale utilization are discussed....
W D Gardner, R S Johnstone, W Pitt


Positive dosage response of CCA in hardwood power poles to soft rot indicated from New South Wales soft rot survey dat
1983 - IRG/WP 3233
Experience and observation have shown that retentions of less than 16 kg/m³ in the sapwood of individual hardwood poles are unlikely to delay its deterioration sufficiently to ensure an economic performance in some instances. The higher retentions of current practice should do so subject to adequate inspection and maintenance. Increases in retentions requirements up to 35 kg/m³ more or less, dep...
A J Witheridge


Co-operative Field Experiment: Performance of preservative-treated timber: Report on condition of specimens after seven years installed in New South Wales - Australia
1986 - IRG/WP 3362
R S Johnstone


An Australian test of wood preservatives. Part 1: Preservatives, principles and practices
1978 - IRG/WP 2123
Between November, 1963, and July, 1964, a graveyard test of some 6000 preservative-treated stakes was installed at 8 sites equally distributed between Papua New Guinea in the tropics, through Queensland and New South Wales to Victoria. More than 40 different preservatives and preservative mixtures, mostly at several different levels of retention, were used to impregnate sawn specimens of Pinus rad...
J Beesley


Field evaluation of the above-ground susceptibility of Pinus heartwood and untreated or treated sapwood to two species of Australian subterranean termites
1996 - IRG/WP 96-10147
Plantation-grown Pinus elliottii, Pinus caribaea and Pinus radiata specimens containing heartwood and untreated or preservative-treated sapwood were exposed above ground to the subterranean termites Coptotermes acinaciformis or Mastotermes darwiniensis near Sydney (NSW), Brisbane and Townsville (Qld), and Darwin (NT), using a variety of exposure techniques. Heartwood of Pinus elliottii and Pinus c...
M J Kennedy, J W Creffield, R H Eldridge, B C Peters


An assessment of soft rot in preservative-treated poles in two test sites and two network areas in New South Wales
2013 - IRG/WP 13-10801
This document presents an extended summary of recent investigations into soft rot attack of preservative treated power poles from the re-inspection of samples selected from two field sites and two in-service trials located in New South Wales, Australia. The in-ground sapwood of selected poles was assessed by probing and, after core sampling, by microscopy to determine the severity and extent of s...
W D Gardner, M A Powell, C Kirton


The biostatic effect of copper on decay of fire retardant-treated mining timber
1991 - IRG/WP 1507
Blocks of Eucalyptus grandis were treated with 20kg/m³ ammonium sulphate as fire retardant and challenged with Coriolus versicolor. Replicates were soil buried. A second set of blocks was treated with retardant and copper at 6.6 kg/m³ (ie 1% w/w), and challenged similarly. After 8 weeks weight losses produced by Coriolus versicolor in untreated, retardant treated and copper supplemented blocks w...
G D Shelver, E A Shelver, A A W Baecker


A new ground-contact wide-spectrum organic wood preservative: DNBP
1986 - IRG/WP 3358
A new organic wood preservative, which 25 years field tests have proved to be of efficiency and effectiveness comparable to CCA wood preservatives for ground-contact applications, is presented. Physical and chemical tests, supporting the long term field test results as well as indicating the characteristics of this preservative, are also presented....
W E Conradie, A Pizzi


Biological effectiveness of ground-contact wood preservatives as determined by field exposure stake tests
1984 - IRG/WP 3297
Field exposure tests conducted on stakes treated with different creosotes, mixtures of creosote and waxy oil as well as different CCA wood preservatives over a period of 25 years, gave the following results: The CCA preservatives provided excellent biological protection to treated stakes, especially against fungal attack. The CCA Type I, currently approved for use under South African conditions is...
W E Conradie, A Pizzi


A new accelerated field test for termites
1983 - IRG/WP 1178
A new accelerated field test method for termites is described. Two series of tests were conducted with this accelerated method and the results were very encouraging....
W E Conradie, A Jansen


Leaching of CCA from Pinus patula during marine trials in the southern hemisphere
1991 - IRG/WP 4167
Pinus patula stakes were treated with CCA to retentions of 31 kg/m³ salts, and were sited in the sea of Port Alfred, South Africa, for two years. Samples were then removed to the laboratory and analysed as before for copper and arsenic. Prelimiary data showing CAA losses from these stakes in the marine environment showed that CCA was longitudinally leached from them, and was also transversly redi...
G D Shelver, C D McQuaid, A W W Baecker


Effect of incising depth and density on treatment of Douglas fir, hem fir and spruce-pine-fir lumber with CCA, ACZA or ACQ
1997 - IRG/WP 97-40093
Incising markedly improves both the depth and uniformity of preservative treatment of refractory wood species, but there are few studies directly comparing the effects of incising depth and density on penetration and retention of commonly used waterborne preservatives in wood species from the western United States. The effects of two incision densities (7300 and 8900 incisions/square meter) at two...
M Anderson, J J Morrell, J E Winandy


Kiln drying of poles as a means of solving the problems of pre-treatment decay in poles
1985 - IRG/WP 1263
The concept that pre-treatment decay can cause wide variation in the treatability of wood and especially wood poles has caused much discussion and debate in wood preservation circles. Yet it seem only logical that if decay has effected the strength characteristics of the wood and caused a differential moisture content in the wood the treatment of the end product will be highly variable and the lon...
J A Taylor


Surface accumulation of copper on CCA-impregnated Pinus patula stakes during marine preservative trials in the southern hemisphere
1992 - IRG/WP 92-4181
Pinus patula stakes treated with CCA to target retentions of 30 kg/m³ salts were exposed to sea water in marine and estuarine ecosystems off the coast of Southern Africa for two years. Samples were then analysed for copper and arsenic. Analysis of samples from the marine ecosystem showed (IRG/WP/4167) that arsenic was longitudinally and transversely leached from the wood, whereas the copper was r...
G D Shelver, C D McQuaid, M Tarin, A A W Baecker


Occurrence of wood-boring pholads in Kochi harbour waters (south-west coast of India)
1992 - IRG/WP 92-4175
The paper reports the occurrence of four species of wood-boring pholads (Pholadidae: Martesiinae), namely Martesia (Martesia) striata (Linnaeus), Martesia (Martesia) fragilis Verrill and Bush. Martesia (Particoma) nairi Turner and Santhakumaran and Lignopholas fluminalis (Blanford), in the Kochi back-waters, south-west coast of India. Of these Martesia nairi and Lignopholas fluminalis are now reco...
L N Santhakumaran, M V Rao


Revised South African standards for wood preservation: Protocols for approval of wood preservatives
1995 - IRG/WP 95-20072
In 1994 the South African timber treatment industry completed its revision of the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) Code of Practice for the preservative treatment of timber. These revisions were undertaken in parallel with changes to the SABS specifications for preservative treated timber. As a result of shortcomings in the previous wood preservative classification system which was based o...
D Conradie, P Turner, W E Conradie, A D Currie, I S J Burger


Wood preservation in Southern Africa
1984 - IRG/WP 3320
This report deals with the status of wood preservation in the countries of Southern Africa, namely Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. It includes some data on the timber production from the forests of these countries, as well as detailing the state of the timber products industries in South Africa which is the dominant country in the field in the sub-cont...
A Pizzi, W E Conradie, R Cockcroft


End Coating Masson Pine Grown in South China to Prevent the Development of Blue Stain
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30428
One end (randomly selected) of logs of mason pine (Pinus massoniana) were coated with a wax-type end coating called ANCHORSEAL® immediately after tree cutting. The logs were then stored in summer weather in Guangxi, China. During the storage, at week 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12, five logs of mason pine were sawn into lumber or veneer for the visual observation and measurement of blue stain at the coa...
Zhao Youke, Qin Li, Huang Rongfeng, Lu Jianxiong


Potential of some insecticides as wood protectants in South Indian condition
2007 - IRG/WP 07-30447
Wood continues to be one of the most widely used raw materials in spite of the introduction of many modern materials. This naturally renewable resource being an organic matter is amenable to the attack of biodeteriorating organisms. Though some wood species are known for their natural resistance to agents of biodeterioration, their availability is constantly decreasing, besides being too expensive...
R Sundararaj, O K Remadevi, R Muthukrishnan


Above ground testing at tropical test sites, what have we learned?
2011 - IRG/WP 11-20473
Three different above ground test methods have been utilized at a selection of five tropical and sub-tropical test sites with a variety of treated and untreated material. The results show that a multi-site approach to above ground field tests presents the opportunity for exposure to un-predicted biodeterioration hazards, which may be important for developmental products of poorly characterized fu...
A Preston, A Zahora, Y Cabrera, L Jin, C Schauwecker, P Walcheski


Variability in durability of some selected South-American wood species
2014 - IRG/WP 14-10831
Within the scope of sustainable forest management one wants to encourage the proper use of lesser known wood species. Therefore the market has to shift from a demand-driven towards a supply-driven market without loss of wood quality. It is generally known that the durability from pith to bark varies thus, affecting the overall durability of wood species. Consequently, a detailed analysis is necess...
I De Windt, P ’t Hooft, J Van den Bulcke, J Van Acker


Bio-preservative properties of technical lignins from South African pulp mills: An investigation towards a conceptualized development of natural compound-based wood preservatives
2018 - IRG/WP 18-30724
The depletion of naturally durable timber and the risk posed by some of the conventional wood preservatives to human health and the environment continue to drive research efforts towards developing new formulations that are benign. Furthermore, the global concept of environmental sustainability aims at optimal use of resources and to comprehensively include conversion of waste to value added produ...
A Alade, L Tyhoda, M Meincken


Termite species associated with processed wood in South America
2018 - IRG/WP 18-10934
Termites as an eusocial insect group play an important role in the decomposition of organic matter of cellulose origin and in the modification and quality of soils. Some species are xylophagous, and therefore are considered an important urban pest due to their ability to attack not only wooden building structures but also synthetic materials such as PVC, polyethylene or polyurethane, causing great...
C Jorge, M Ibáñez


Environmental protection and long term in-service sustainability of preserved wooden poles is secured by non-toxic barrier protection system – History and case studies in South Africa
2018 - IRG/WP 18-50340
Non-toxic flexible sheeting systems have been developed to encapsulate the ground contact regions of preserved wooden poles and prevent their premature failure in South Africa since 1992 but the technology also has a long history of resistance by individuals with vested interests in the built-in redundancies of such poles. The concept has, however, been simultaneously validated by many independent...
A A W Baecker


The Commercial Forestry and Forest Products Industry in South Africa – A brief overview
2018 - IRG/WP 18-50342
The presentation made by Mr Michael Peter, Executive Director of Forestry South Africa, provides insight into the commercial forestry and forest products industries in South Africa. The forestry industry in South Africa is based solely on the propagation of exotic trees, grown in plantations in the higher rainfall regions of South Africa. The presentation shows the ownership, geographical extent...
M Peter


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