Acknowledgements

In carrying out a series of experiments such as these it is inevitable that we were given advice and practical help from a large number of people, and it is impossible to thank them all by name. We should, first, like to thank the Directors of the Building and Road Research Institute and the Forest Products Research Institute who provided facilities; and many of their staff who undertook the tedious tasks of band sawing specimens, cutting and planing the experimental samples, and working on the test sites. In particular we should like to thank Mr J. E. Barnacle, Division of Building Research, C.S.I.R.O., Australia (formerly of Forest Products Research Institute, Ghana), for many helpful discussion and comments on a draft of this paper; Mr F. F. K. Ampong for assistance in collecting timber specimens; Dr W. A. Sands and Mr R. M. C. Williams, Centre for Overseas Pest Research, London, U.K., who discussed aspects of the work with us; Dr R. J. Orsler, Building Research Establishment, Aylesbury, U.K., for providing information on the chemicals in the woods; our technical staff, Miss Mary Dinsey, Mr S. Nyarko and Mr J. K. Appiah Kwarteng, for their help both in the field and the laboratory; and the Director, staff and students of Kumasi Polytechnic who also helped by preparing samples.

The extensive collection of timber samples could not have been obtained without the help and advice of many people in the Forestry and Timber Industries. We should therefore like to thank the staff of the Ghana Forestry Department in Kumasi; Mr F. Cudjoe, Forest Products Research Institute, for help in identifying trees; and the managers and staff of the following sawmills (in alphabetical order):-Africa Timber and Plywood (Ghana) Ltd. (P.O. Box 1, Samreboi); Amakom Sawmill Co. Ltd. (P.O. Box 1381, Kumasi); Anthony Timbers Ltd. (P.O. Box 826, Kumasi); Ashanti Curl and Lumber Producers (P.O. Box 652, Kumasi); Bibiani Lumber and Logging Co. (P.O. Box 170, Kumasi); Daniel and Company Sawmill (P.O. Box 329, Kumasi); Ehwia Sawmills (Ghana Timber Marketing Board, P.O. Box 3813, Kumasi); Ghana Timber Marketing Board (P.O. Box 515, Takoradi); Gliksten (Ghana) Ltd. (Private Post Bag, Sefwi Wiawso); A. Lang Ltd. (P.O. Box 1981, Kumasi); Mim Timber Co. Ltd. (P.O. Box 1950, Kumasi); Nkawkaw Sawmills Ltd. (P.O. Box 59, Nkawkaw); Poku Transport and Sawmills (P.O. Box 2027, Kumasi); Timber and Transport, TAT-(KK) Ltd. (P.O. Box 1925, Kumasi); and Wood Supply (Ghana) Ltd. (P.O. Box 1405, Kumasi).