Deterioration of Wood

Wooden cultural heritage and archaeological materials contain information about human and natural history in the structures of the objects or artifacts, in the microstructures, and in the chemistry of the cells. Increasingly sensitive methods of analysis are able to harvest information including evidence of climate change, location of use or trade, and conditions of use and storage. Ethical stewardship of wooden cultural heritage requires knowledge of wood structure and the agents and mechanisms of deterioration in order to not only sustain the objects or artifacts but also assure that information latent in the cellular architecture and chemistry will be available for future analysis and interpretation. The basic anatomical and chemical characteristics of wood are presented as a foundation for understanding the primary agents and mechanisms of deterioration of ancient and historic preserved wood. Weathering, microbial agents, insect pests, and animals are described. Conditions of preservation provided by arid and waterlogged conditions are explained.