Nondestructive Evaluation of Biologically Degraded Wood

Wood is a complex material that can be attacked and degraded by a wide range of biological organisms. The USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL), has been investigating the use of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to identify when degradation of wood occurs in the structure and the performance characteristics that remain in the structure. In particular, FPL’s work has focused on using longitudinal stress wave NDE techniques for laboratory and field applications.