Biodeterioration Diagnostics Database

Softwood rounds used as a parking lot bumper near Jackson Hole, Wyoming showed signs of defibration on the upper surface. Salt defibration has been reported from Antarctica (Blanchette et al. Polar Rec 38:313–) as an unusual decay phenomenon, but here it is near 45 degrees latitude in the intermountain West of the Rocky Mountains. This defibration results in accumulation of wood fibers on the surface and exposes fresh wood to UV damage and more defibration. In this case, if there was any preservative treatment in the wood, this slow progressive decay could expose less resistant wood and hasten decay problems. The defibration may also be as a result of diffusible treatment chemicals. Although in historic objects and buildings this would be a worry, this process in low-value situations like this is mostly curious and perhaps useful to scientists interested in delignification processes. When I first looked at this 'fuzzy' surface and saw two furry mountain dogs playing around in the owner's cabin porch, I thought I was looking at dog fur, but you can see in the close-up photos that wood fibers are sloughing off. I would never have looked closer if I hadn't read about defibration in polar huts. This area in Wyoming receives 300+ inches (750+ centimeters) of snow annually, and this means the snow plow and the salt are nearly in constant action during the winter. This was on a gravel road portion, however, so it is unclear if salt would be used. Additionally, visitors using the parking lot probably stand on these horizontal rounds often (see the image of me performing my version of a three-point bending test). Salt or preservative chemicals (etc.) may help delignify the wood near the surface, a phenomenon that has been seen in Antarctica on explorer's huts exposed to salty air and wind, as well as in other sea-side areas I'm told . Here, this problem may be exacerbated in the high desert weather that can bake the surface. As in any situation, the size of the problem depends on the cost of the material replacement and the risk. Both are low here, so this is not a major financial loss or safety hazard. Instead, it is just a nice example of how learning about a problem common to one situation (windy polar buildings) can be useful for deducing similar problems occurring in new contexts (visitor-rich, landlocked Wyoming).