Wood-treating processes for 

 protection and service 



Surface or impregnation treatments of 

 wood to protect it or to increase its 

 service value in other ways are a com- 

 mon necessity and have been practiced, 

 with varying success, from the earliest 

 times. With the increasing volume 

 and diversity of wood uses in the mod- 

 ern era, the aid of research in examin- 

 ing, improving, and developing all 

 kinds of treating processes has become 

 increasingly important. 



Protection against decay 



Decay is by far the greatest destroyer 

 of wood in service. Practical methods 

 of preventing it mean large money sav- 

 ings to wood users, more lasting and 

 satisfactory wood structures and utili- 

 ties, and the curbing of a heavy drain 

 on forest resources. The effectiveness 

 and relative cost of coal-tar creosote, 

 zinc chloride, mercury salts, and many 

 other preservatives in protecting wood 

 against decay, insects, and other de- 

 structive organism are studied in experi- 

 mental treatments and field tests of 

 great numbers of treated specimens, 

 including railway ties, piling, poles, 

 posts, and building timber. Research in 

 impregnation processes is leading the 

 way to better treating methods and 

 greater certainty of long-service life of 

 wood at lower cost. These studies are 

 of additional benefit in extending pre- 

 servative treatment to wood species 

 not before successfully treated. 



Simple and inexpensive preservative 

 processes for fence posts and structural 

 timber on the farm have been devised 



• 



and are being further developed for us 

 with various woods and new an 

 cheaper preservatives. Large numbers 

 of inquiries are received annually re- 

 garding the relative value of wood- 

 treating chemicals and methods. Au- 

 thoritative and impartial information 

 in such cases is bringing substantial 

 savings to thousands of wood users. 



Fireproof ing tests 



Fireproofmg investigations stand high 

 in potential importance. If by the 



M-23214-F 



The effectiveness of -wood-preservative ma- 

 terials is determined by impregnation 

 treatments. 



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