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Forest Products Laboratory
One Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726-2398
Phone: (608) 231-9200
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Requested Product

Title: Microbial Succession in Naturally Durable Wood Species in Above-Ground Field Tests

Source: FPL RIP-4723-013

Author(s): Diehl, Susan V.,Clausen, Carol A.

Publication Year: 2009  View PDF »

Related Publications: view

Category: Research In Progress

Abstract: Forests in the United States contain a substantial amount of small-diameter material from underutilized tree species. Overstocked stands of trees need to be thinned to help reduce the risks of wildfire and improve overall forest health, but they often have relatively low value because of trunk size, growth habitat, accessibility, or lack of commercial applications. Other introduced tree species have invaded natural ecosystems and reduced biological diversity in native flora and wildlife. Some of these underutilized and invasive wood species are known to be naturally resistant to insects and decay, but relatively little is known about the field performance of wood products from these species or the physical or chemical properties that impart their natural durability. New applications for wood from these species would enhance the cost effectiveness of thinning operations, create business and employment opportunities in rural communities, and increase options for replacement components in residential and non-residential structures while reducing wildfire risks and improving forest health.

Keywords: Molecular genetics; Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (TRFLP); microbial succession; above-ground; natural durability; invasive species; underutilized species

File size: 1,265 kb(s)

Date posted: 01/11/2010
Current FPL Scientist associated with this product
Clausen, Carol A.
Supervisory Research Microbiologist
  

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