Full Length Research Paper

Natural durability of heartwoods from European and tropical Africa trees exposed to marine conditions

Selim Şen¹*, Hüseyin Sivrikaya² and Mesut Yalçin¹

¹Duzce University, Faculty of Forestry, Forest Industrial Engineering, Konuralp Campus, 81620 Duzce - Turkey.

²Bartin University, Faculty of Forestry, 74100, Bartin, Turkey.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: selimsen@duzce.edu.tr. Tel.: +903805421137 (3301). Fax: +903805421136.

Accepted 22 June, 2009

   Abstract

Marine durability of heartwoods obtained from tropical African and European species against marine borer attacks in underwater exposure in Turkish coasts was investigated. Test hangers including wood species of 18 European and 15 African wood species were fastened to test area and exposed at a depth of 6 m along the coasts of seas (East and West Black Sea, Marmara Sea, Aegean, East and West coasts of mediterranean in Turkey seashore). Most European wood samples suffered severe attacks from boring organisms. On the other hand, some tropical African species (Lophira alata, Nauclea diderichii, Tieghemella heckelii, Chlorophora excelsa, Distemonanthus benthamianus, Pterocarpus soyauxii and Millettia laurentii) showed high natural marine durability in all seas, while the rest of them were only slightly degraded by boring organisms. The test areas in Trabzon, Ereğli and İskenderun cities which are industrial harbours were shown to have the highest boring attacks. Other test areas, Bandırma, Alaçatı and Finike which are yacht marinas were shown to have little boring and fouling attacks.

Key words: Marine durability, tropical and European heartwoods, boring organisms.