Abstract

Timber can be protected from termite attack by their natural resistance or through chemical treatment. Not all wood/timber species have inherent ability to resist the attack of bio-deteriorating agents without treatment with chemical preservatives. There is paucity of information on the natural resistance of some indigenous timber species to termite damaged in part of Nigerian Northern Guinea Savanna. Therefore, natural resistance of selected economic indigenous species of the ecological zone was investigated. The study was conducted at Federal College of Forestry Mechanization. “Timber Graveyard” method was adopted in evaluating the natural resistance of selected indigenous timber species which were sawn to similar rectangular stalks measuring 30 x 5 x 2 cm and the initial volume of each were noted. Volume changes rather than changes in weight were used to avoid complication that could arise from weight changes due to evaporation of water, chemicals and other highly volatile liquid from wood surface. The test ware carried out in two (2) phases, a trial and test phase. The experiment was laid out in Complete Randomized Design (CRD). Observations for signs of attack on rectangular wooden stalks were taken at fortnight intervals. Four (4) out of the Ten (10) species (Millicia excels, Khaya senegalensis, Terminalia superba and Prosopis africana) of timber tested showed high resistant to termite attack at 2.53, 5.20, 8.00 and 8.21%, respectively. Ceiba petendra had the lowest natural resistance while Milicia excelsa had the highest natural resistance to the ravaging attack of subterranean termites. The economic implication of this calls for the use of extremely resistant timber.