Evaluation of Naturally Grown Termite Resistant Tropical Wood Species

Abstract

Selecting termite resistant wood species for household and construction purposes can guarantee their durability and reduce the pressure on forest resources. The objective of this study was to evaluate the resistance of selected tropical wood species to termite attacks in a natural environment. For this evaluation, 100 wood specimens were cut to 20 cm length, 2.5 cm thickness, and 5 cm width and placed in an open field. Each wood sample was partially inserted into the ground to a depth of 10 cm, and the remaining part was kept above the ground for visibility and handling purposes during the sampling period. Wood density analyses were simultaneously carried out in the laboratory using wood specimens of equal length (2 cm), thickness (2 cm), and width (2 cm). The results indicated that species such as Terminalia superba and Hallea ciliata had the highest mean weight loss of 57.62% and 30.27%, respectively, and were highly susceptible to termite attacks compared to Terminalia ivorensis, Lophira alata, and Heritiera utilis, which were very resistant with only mean weight losses of 0.29%, 0.78%, and 0.81%, respectively. Some wood species, such as Terminalia superba, Piptadeniastrum africanum, Terminalia ivorensis, and Hallea ciliata exhibited low density, whereas Lophira alata, Nauclea diderrichii, and Tetraberlinia tubmaniana displayed high density. A significant correlation (r = -0.79, p < 0.001) was observed between the weight loss and the density of the selected wood species. It was noted that variations in termite resistance were primarily attributed to wood density.