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Table 1 Published studies assessing the natural durability of Sequoia sempervirens timber

From: The chemistry and bioactivity of various heartwood extracts from redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) against two species of fungi

Test type (number and name of species in brackets, if known)

Classification

Origin of timber (type of wood in brackets)

Reference

Field test

Non-durable

unknown

Hedley and Foster [1972]

Laboratory test (ASTM [2005]) (5 brown-rot fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum, Coniophora olivacea (Fr.) P. Karst., Postia placenta and 2 unidentified isolates) and 5 white-rot fungi (Fuscoporia gilva (Schwein.) T. Wagner & M. Fisch., Pycnoporus coccineus (Fr.) Bondartsev & Singer, Trametes versicolor and 2 unidentified isolates))

Moderately resistant

unknown

Hedley and Foster [1972]

Modified laboratory test (buried) (5 brown-rot fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum, Coniophora olivacea, Postia placenta and 2 unidentified isolates) and 5 white-rot fungi (Fuscoporia gilva, Pycnoporus versicolor, Trametes versicolor and 2 unidentified isolates))

Non-resistant

unknown

Hedley and Foster [1972]

Laboratory (2 brown-rot fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum, Postia placenta))

Weight-loss of 18-45%

unknown origin (sawmill boards of widest possible natural range)

Wilcox and Piirto [1976]

Laboratory (16 soft-, brown- and white-rot fungi)

Very resistant against soft-rot, resistant against white-rots and moderately resistant against brown-rots

unknown origin (sapwood)

Eslyn and Highley [1976]

Laboratory (2 brown-rot fungi (Gloeophyllum trabeum and Postia placenta))

Very to moderately resistant

California (outer third heartwood of the top of the butt-log)

Clark and Scheffer [1983]

Field tests (above ground)

Sapwood: 15 years in moist and 25 years in dry climates; heartwood: >20 years in moist and 30 years in dry climates

unknown origin (sapwood and heartwood)

Eslyn et al. [1985]; Highley [1995]

Field test

Durable

unknown

Miller [1986]

Laboratory test (11 soft-rot fungi)

Little weight loss compared to Pinus ponderosa

unknown origin (heartwood)

Morrell and Smith [1988]

Laboratory using termites (Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki)

Termite resistance

California and Oregon (Top-grade glulam stock)

Grace and Yamamoto [1994]

Field test

Durable in dry site; Non-durable in wet-sites

unknown

Johnson et al. [1996]

Laboratory (2 brown-rot fungi (Coniophora puteana (Schumach.) P. Karst., Gloeophyllum trabeum) and 1 white-rot fungus (Trametes versicolor))

Large variation from very-durable (1) to not-durable (5). Site averages (2)-(4) (increasing resistance with age)

New Zealand (22, 38 and 71 years old)

Jones et al. [2011]