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vol-9A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE NATURAL RESISTANCE OF COMMERCIAL
WOOD SPECIES AGAINST MARINE BORERS IN EGYPTIAN WATERS
A.A. Alsayes 1, A. El-Sayed, and N.A. Ghanem
National Research Centre
Cai ro, Egypt
“For many purposes wood is an ideal construction material and is
often used wi thout any protective treatment. The natural res i stance
of fi ve common commerc i a1 woods agai nst mari ne borers in Egypt ian
waters was investigated from June 1978 to May 1979. The results show
the superiority of labbeck· and mahogany over pine and pitch pine in
resisting marine borer attack. The Suez area can be recommended as a
good locality for testing wood as well as antiborer treatments.”
Introduction
Wood is an important renewable natural resource. It is a versatile material that has many desirable physical properties and is generally cheaper to
use than other construction materials. In Egypt, large quantities of wood are
used for various purposes, the most· important of which is the construction of
fishing boats; all Egyptian fishing boats and vessels used in marine and inland
fisheries are made of wood. However, tropical and sUbtropical countries are
plagued by wood borers in their nearshore marine environments. Despite this,
there is a total lack of information on the effect of wood borers on the
various species of wood used in Egyptian waters. .
The goals of this work, the first in a series on timber preservation for
Egyptian waters, are to compare at various marine sites the natural borer
resistance of commercial wood species in actual use by boat builders and to
investigate the relative durability of some species of wood in common use in
the marine environment. Such information wi 11 provide guidance to Egyptian
companies in selecting the most resistant type of wood in a specific marine
environment.
