Topic 8.5: Forest Product Protection

Due to the tremendous variety of forest products harvested, and the equally great variation in biotic and abiotic conditions in managed forests, the challenge of protecting forest products from deterioration can be either minor or severe.  Both wood-staining fungi and wood-boring insects rapidly colonize logs on the forest floor.  Among the commercial timbers are some that start to deteriorate within hours of felling, and others that can be left lying on the forest floor for up to a year before extraction without serious deterioration.  For example, loggers in lowland Ecuador spray logs of some species with mixtures of fungicides and insecticides immediately after felling. In contrast, loggers in the mountains of Costa Rica and the dry woodlands of Zambia can leave logs of some species on the forest floor for many months without any detectable deterioration.  In addition to variation in susceptibility to decay of different woods in different regions, there are often seasonal differences in rates of decay.  Obviously, knowledge about the susceptibility to attack of the different forest products being harvested, the ecology of the attacking organisms, and how they can best be controlled are important for assuring the profitability of forest management operations.