Making wood less tasty to pests

From wood walls to fence posts, we enjoy the benefits of wood products. But there are insects and fungi who enjoy it for another purpose – as dinner.

The Forest Service’s Forest Products Laboratory scientists test wood products for resistance to fungal decay and insect damage.

One of their big projects is testing chemical treatments for military wood packaging boxes. These boxes must withstand two years in a field environment – anywhere around the world – and more than 20 years in storage.

“A lot of our work has looked at trying to make sure that whatever chemical they’re using meets those durability requirements,” said Forest Products Laboratory research entomologist Rachel Arango.

“When we first started working on this project, the main organisms we were focused on were the decay fungi and the termites. These are really major threats when you get field exposure,” said Arango.

Scientists at the Forest Products Laboratory test different types of wood against the organisms that might use it for food or nesting. (Forest Service photo)

The lab works with the American Wood Protection Association and uses their standards to test wood products – from traditional untreated studs to new cross-laminated timber – against wood-eating organisms.

“The thing that excites me the most about my research here at the Forest Products Laboratory is it has real-world applicability,” said Forest Products Laboratory research biologist Katie Ohno. “Wood is a part of every building that we pretty much enter, so we’re able to understand and try to keep these structures lasting longer.”

Play the video to join our team of fungi and insect specialists for some wood preservation testing at the Forest Products Laboratory.

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