Comparison of Outdoor and Accelerated Weathering of Unprotected Softwoods

A comparison is made between the erosion rates of accelerated (artificial) and outdoor (natural) weathering of western redcedar. Fast-grown summerwood was eroded much more slowly than slow-grown. Springwood loss was essentially constant for both slow- and fast-grown material. Springwood was eroded more quickly than summer-wood during early stages of both accelerated and outdoor weathering. After 2 years of outdoor weathering, springwood and summerwood erosion rates were similar. Western redcedar was eroded much faster, 0.5 inch per 100 years, compared to ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, and redwood, which ranged from 0.2 to 0.30 inch per 100 years, respectively. The data show accelerated weathering can be a valuable tool for evaluating the rate of outdoor weathering.

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