Hurricane-Induced Biodeterioration of Wood Structures: A State-of-the-Art Review
Abstract
The increasing frequency of high-intensity hurricanes and associated flooding can expose residential structures to severe moisture intrusion and initiate fungal biodeterioration of structural elements. This state-of-the-art review discusses the effects of moisture intrusion from hurricane events and subsequent biodeterioration in residential wood-frame structures in the southeast United States. The review is structured to follow the timeline of progressive biodeterioration. Moisture intrusion during the hazard event is considered through post-hazard damage assessments and experimental efforts. Fungal decay inception and propagation are considered from a plant pathology view, including the limited engineering literature on the mechanical effects of decay. The long-term impacts of biodeterioration on housing and residents are explored through a social-science based discussion of pre-hazard risks and post-disaster recovery. Additionally, recommendations are suggested to prevent and mitigate wood degradation. The review found that little effort has been conducted at the scale of timber framed structures to evaluate the effects of biodeterioration from a structural engineering viewpoint, nor have existing efforts considered the long-term effects of wood rot on housing availability or health.
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Data Availability Statement
No data, models, or code were generated or used during the study.
Acknowledgments
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant No. 1840280. Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Natural Hazards Review
Volume 24 • Issue 4 • November 2023
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© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Published online: Jul 28, 2023
Published in print: Nov 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 28, 2023
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Biological processes
- Building materials
- Buildings
- Decomposition
- Disaster risk management
- Disasters and hazards
- Engineering materials (by type)
- Environmental engineering
- Flood frequency
- Floods
- Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones
- Hydrologic engineering
- Hydrology
- Materials engineering
- Microbes
- Moisture
- Natural disasters
- Organisms
- Residential buildings
- Structural engineering
- Structures (by type)
- Waste management
- Water and water resources
- Wood and wood products
- Wood structures
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