FEATURE
material . Due to high demand , modern processing practices are designed to maximise wood production yield , meaning it is impractical and uneconomic to exclude sapwood .
The sapwood of all species is susceptible to insect and fungal attack , and requires protection against insect attack and , in prolonged wet conditions , fungal attack .
If non-durable , heartwood may also require protection depending on the wood species , the conditions of use and the service life required . Most South African grown commercially important species of pine and eucalyptus are non-durable and require preservative pre-treatment .
In recognising the short life of untreated wood when used in exposed applications and conditions , for example , agriculture , marine and freshwater areas , structures and fencing , and the inconvenience and cost of failure , humankind has from antiquity attempted to prolong the life of wood .
The discovery of the biological causes of wood damage and decay , coinciding with the start of the Industrial Revolution , led to the development of effective treatments .
This has culminated in the preservatives and processes available now for many uses of treated wood that meet the health , safety and environmental requirements of today ’ s regulatory regime .
Wood can often be used to substitute other materials like steel , aluminium , concrete , or plastics .
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability is often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs **.
For true sustainability , we need to integrate the goals of a high quality of life , health and prosperity with social justice and maintaining the earth ’ s capacity to support life in all its diversity .
These social , economic , and environmental goals are interdependent and mutually reinforcing , and are recognised widely as the three aspects of sustainability .
Only through balancing social , environmental and economic aspects can we achieve true sustainability . Both treated wood and the biocides used in wood protection conforms to the principles of sustainability and for clarity these are addressed separately .
SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIOCIDES
Products containing biocides , such as wood preservatives , are a family of products intended to destroy or control harmful or unwanted organisms ( such as fungi and insects ) that have detrimental effects on the environment , on animals , on humans , their activities , or the products they use or produce . Biocidal products are used in a wide variety of ways by both industrial and professional users as well as by the public .
Sustainable use can be defined for biocidal products as the objective of reducing the risks and impacts of the use of biocidal products on human health , animal health and the environment .
www . timberiq . co . za // AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2021 15