Plantation species that would make stronger vineyard posts than Pinus radiata.

摘要

An estimated 10 million trellis posts are installed annually in Australian vineyards, and approximately 75% of these are copper chromium arsenate (CCA)-treated Pinus radiata (industry standard posts). CCA-treated P. radiata posts are weaker than creosote-treated posts, and at times in short supply. The use of some products containing CCA is restricted in Australia due to health concerns, and the disposal of CCA-treated posts is an environmental problem. For these reasons, alternative timber species and wood preservatives for vineyard posts were examined in a collaborative research project. Industry-standard posts of CCA-treated P. radiata (45 MPa) were significantly stronger than alkaline copper quaternary (ACQ)-treated P. radiata (34 MPa). As the available ACQ treatment method for P. radiata caused a relatively high retention of preservative compared to CCA, we could not determine whether the strength difference was due to the type of preservative or level of retention. All other species tested, whether treated with ACQ or pigment-emulsified creosote (PEC), were significantly stronger than CCA-treated P. radiata. Species such as Corymbia maculata [Eucalyptus maculata], E. cladocalyx, E. grandis, E. pilularis, P. elliottii and Araucaria cunninghamii, treated with either ACQ or (in the case of hardwoods) PEC, appeared to be more suitable as vineyard posts than CCA-treated P. radiata in terms of bending strength and resistance to splitting..