Record Details

Potential for using through-boring to improve groundline treatment of Australian wood species: A preliminary study

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

Field Value
Title Potential for using through-boring to improve groundline treatment of Australian wood species: A preliminary study
Names Morrell, Jeffrey J. (creator)
Norton, Jack (creator)
Date Issued 2009-09 (iso8601)
Abstract An aging electricity distribution system and reduced availability of naturally durable tropical hardwoods in Australia will
combine in the next decade to produce a major shortage of poles. One approach to mitigating this shortage is to utilize lower
durability species and improve the penetration of preservatives into the refractory heartwood by introducing additional pretreatment
processes. A potential method for improving preservative penetration in the critical ground-line zone is throughboring.
This process, in which holes are drilled through the pole perpendicular to the grain in the ground-line zone, is widely
used in the western United States for treatment of Douglas-fir and may be suitable for many Australian wood species. The
potential for improving heartwood penetration in eucalypts with alkaline-copper-quaternary (ACQ) compound was assessed
on heartwood specimens from four species (Eucalyptus cloeziana F.Muell., E. grandis W.Hill ex Maiden, E. obliqua L’Her.
and E. pellita F.Muell.) and Lophostemon confertus (R.Br.) Peter G.Wilson & J.T.Waterh). Longitudinal ACQ penetration
was extremely shallow in L. confertus and only slightly better in E. cloeziana. Longitudinal penetration was good in both
E. obliqua and E. pellita, although there was some variation in treatment results with length of pressure period. The results
suggest that through-boring might be a reasonable approach for achieving heartwood penetration in some Eucalyptus species,
although further studies are required to assess additional treatment schedules and to determine the effects of the process on
flexural properties of the poles.
Genre Article
Identifier Morrell, J. J., & Norton, J. (2009). Potential for using through-boring to improve groundline treatment of Australian wood species: A preliminary study (Vol. 59, pp. 61-66). Madison, Wis.: Forest products journal.

© Western Waters Digital Library - GWLA member projects - Designed by the J. Willard Marriott Library - Hosted by Oregon State University Libraries and Press