Decay Hazard mapping for Europe

In this study, two different dose-response models for above-ground decay as well as a model transferring macro climate data to wood climate data are presented. The models base on data from field trials, which had been conducted at 28 European test sites, and were used to calculate the relative risk for decay caused by climate variability in Europe. The two dose-response models give coherent results when using either measured wood climate data or simulated climate data. The potential to simulate the relative risk of decay for different sites in the world from climate data has been demonstrated, even if no measured wood climate data is available. A preliminary decay hazard map has been generated to illustrate the climate induced variability within the European continent. For comparative purposes also the Scheffer Climate Index (SCI) had been applied to the same European data base. It was concluded that valuable information for service life prediction of timber structures will be gathered from performance-based decay hazard estimation and mapping.

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