Efficiency of natural wood extractives as wood preservatives against termite attack

Wood extractives play a major role in the protection of wood against termite and fungal attack. Wood extractives from three hard wood species of Milicia excelsa, Albizia coriaria and Markhamia lutea that are known to be very resistant against termite attack and fungal decay were studied to assess their role as wood preservatives in Uganda. Acetone, hexane and distilled water were used in the extraction of these compounds from the outer heartwood of the selected durable species. Extraction was done using a soxhlet extractor. The extractives obtained were used to treat Pinus caribaea and Antiaris toxicaria species known to be susceptible to termites and fungal attack. Treated blocks were then exposed to Macrotermes bellicosus termites in the fi eld. It was observed that wood extracts used as preservatives improved the resistance of less durable samples to termite attack by 50% compared to the controls. It was also observed that removal of extractives decreased resistance of the durable samples. It can be concluded that wood extractives contribute greatly to the protection of less durable wood species against termite attack

Timber management practices and timber species used by small scale furniture workshops in Uganda

A study was done in Kampala District, Central Uganda, to document the timber species and timbermanagement practices used in furniture workshops. A check list was used to document the commontimber species, their grades, moisture contents and related timber management practices in furnitureworkshops. Results showed that Albizia coriaria, Markhamia lutea and Chrysophyllum albidum werethe most common species while Khaya spp, Milicia excelsa and Olea spp were the least used speciesin the furniture workshops. Sixty nine percent of the furniture workshops lacked timber storage sheds,whereas only 3% had the recommended timber stacks. Majority (95%) of the carpenters in the furnitureworkshops did not season timber and hence the moisture content of the timber ranged from 31% to35%. Forty nine percent of the workshops exposed their finished products to environmental and weatherdeterioration. The commonest type of wood waste was planer shavings which were not utilised effectively.Since 97% of carpenters did not grade timber, the quality of their products was inherently poor. Thestudy concluded that several lesser known timber species were used for making furniture amidst verypoor timber management. The study recommends that the government of Uganda through its policyimplementingarms should create awareness programmes to carpenters on efficient timber managementpractices. Further research on physical, processing and strength properties of the documented speciesshould be undertaken so as to improve their utilisation

Efficiency of natural wood extractives as wood preservatives against termite attack

Wood extractives play a major role in the protection of wood against termite and fungal attack. Wood extractives from three hard wood species of Milicia excelsa, Albizia coriaria and Markhamia lutea that are known to be very resistant against termite attack and fungal decay were studied to assess their role as wood preservatives in Uganda. Acetone, hexane and distilled water were used in the extraction of these compounds from the outer heartwood of the selected durable species. Extraction was done using a soxhlet extractor. The extractives obtained were used to treat Pinus caribaea and Antiaris toxicaria species known to be susceptible to termites and fungal attack. Treated blocks were then exposed to Macrotermes bellicosus termites in the field. It was observed that wood extracts used as preservatives improved the resistance of less durable samples to termite attack by 50% compared to the controls. It was also observed that removal of extractives decreased resistance of the durable samples. It can be concluded that wood extractives contribute greatly to the protection of less durable wood species against termite attack

Efficiency of natural wood extractives as wood preservatives against termite attack

Wood extractives play a major role in the protection of wood against termite and fungal attack. Wood extractives from three hard wood species of Milicia excelsa, Albizia coriaria and Markhamia lutea that are known to be very resistant against termite attack and fungal decay were studied to assess their role as wood preservatives in Uganda. Acetone, hexane and distilled water were used in the extraction of these compounds from the outer heartwood of the selected durable species. Extraction was done using a soxhlet extractor. The extractives obtained were used to treat Pinus caribaea and Antiaris toxicaria species known to be susceptible to termites and fungal attack. Treated blocks were then exposed to Macrotermes bellicosus termites in the field. It was observed that wood extracts used as preservatives improved the resistance of less durable samples to termite attack by 50% compared to the controls. It was also observed that removal of extractives decreased resistance of the durable samples. It can be concluded that wood extractives contribute greatly to the protection of less durable wood species against termite attack

Timber management practices and timber species used by small scale furniture workshops in Uganda

A study was done in Kampala District, Central Uganda, to document the timber species and timber management practices used in furniture workshops. A check list was used to document the common timber species, their grades, moisture contents and related timber management practices in furniture workshops. Results showed that Albizia coriaria, Markhamia lutea and Chrysophyllum albidum were the most common species while Khaya spp, Milicia excelsa and Olea spp were the least used species in the furniture workshops. Sixty nine percent of the furniture workshops lacked timber storage sheds, whereas only 3% had the recommended timber stacks. Majority (95%) of the carpenters in the furniture workshops did not season timber and hence the moisture content of the timber ranged from 31% to 35%. Forty nine percent of the workshops exposed their finished products to environmental and weather deterioration. The commonest type of wood waste was planer shavings which were not utilised effectively. Since 97% of carpenters did not grade timber, the quality of their products was generally and inherently poor. The study concluded that several lesser known timber species were used for making furniture amidst very poor timber management. The study recommends that the government of Uganda through its policy-implementing arms should create awareness programmes to carpenters on efficient timber management practices. Further research on physical, processing and strength properties of the documented species should be undertaken so as to improve their utilisation