Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2002

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design

Department

Wood Science and Technology

Committee Chair

Benjamin Dawson-Andoh.

Abstract

Each year, the forest products industry sustains considerable product loss due to a reduction in market value of lumber brought about by microbial discoloration. The current practice of treating green lumber with chemical biocides to protect it from discoloration, although successful, is a potential hazard to both the environment and human life. One potential alternative to chemical biocides is biological control. The most recent success in the field of biological control has been achieved in the agricultural industry by first studying the microbial ecology of the substrate in which the biologically based preservative is to be used. Literature on microbial ecology of green lumber and how to control the colonization on it biologically is very limited. Consequently, the primary objective of this study was to gain a general understanding of the microbial ecology of green lumber of yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) during storage as a precursor to the development of biological control agents for use on freshly sawn lumber. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

Share

COinS