Western red cedar shakes and shingles were analyzed for extractives after 25 and 33 years of exposure in a field test to better understand the extractives associated with long-term durability. Only minimal concentrations of thujaplicins were found, but plicatic acid was still present in significant quantities. Plicatic acid or other uncharacterized compounds that remain in the wood may play a more important role in the durability of shakes and shingles than previously thought.
Contributor Notes
The author is Wood Chemist, Building Systems Dept., FPInnovations, Wood Products Division, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (rod.stirling@fpinnovations.ca). This paper was received for publication in May 2010. Article no. 10-00010.