Volume 8, Issue 9, September – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology ISSN No:-2456-2165 IJISRT23SEP021 www.ijisrt.com 263 Resistance to Termite Attack Properties of Azadirachta indica Wood from the Savannah Ecological Zone of Ghana Issah Chakurah 1 Dr. Francis Kofi Bih 2 Dr. Kwaku Antwi 3 Abstract:- The continued increase in human population and demand for wood for different structural applications has prompted intensive research into the suitability of various types of timber species that will be suitable for various utilization. For the appropriate use of wood for engineering purposes, its properties must be established for use. This study evaluated the durability properties of neem (Azadirachta indica) wood. Samples for this study were harvested from the natural forest at the Du-West / Peplime community of the Upper West region of Ghana. Specimens were extracted from the logs using quarter sawing. The natural resistance of neem wood was carried out using samples along (Axially) and across (Radially) the bole of the tree. Prepared specimens were oven-dried, weighed until there was no variation in weight of two successive weighs, and then subjected to a field termite exposure test for a period of six months, after which, they were exhumed and cleaned, dried, and re-weighed. The result of this study showed that the weight loss assessment of the heartwood was lower while that of the sapwood of all the trees under study was higher. However, One-way ANOVA conducted between the heartwood and sapwood showed no significant variation even though the sapwood recorded a higher mass loss than the sapwood. The average mass loss for the heartwood of all the trees under study was 5.90% and that of the sapwood was 7.71% revealing a high resistance of neem wood to termite attack and also placing it in the Durable class. I. INTRODUCTION Insufficient supply of wood raw materials is one of the main global hindrances to the growth and sustainability of the furniture industry. Many lesser-known-species (LKS) that could play a supplementary role to the scarce commercial timbers for furniture production are available in tropical forests (Antwi-boasiako & Boadu, 2016). However, the industry continuously suffers timber shortages leading to the collapse of some businesses. A study conducted by Aguma and Ogunsanwo (2019) reported that the shortage of raw wood materials has led to some wood processing and furniture production companies either becoming non- operational or not operating at full capacity. It has also caused some firms, as well as individuals, to lose their jobs and income. As a result of these negative effects, the need for alternative wood has become a major priority for stakeholders in the wood industries (Cionca et al., 2006). The extent to which manufacturers patronize LKS as alternatives to the commercial timber specie is low because the biological durability and other properties of the timber are unknown, which this study sought to ascertain. According to Eslyn and Highley (1976), wood is a natural polymer consisting basically of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin in a matrix that gives structural support to the living tree and some resistance against microbial manifestation or attack. Eslyn and Highley (1976) reported that lignin is a heterogeneous polymer of phenyl propane units and is highly resistant to some decay fungi. Nevertheless, other organisms have developed high resistance to attack for one or more of the polymers in the wood cell wall. Some wood species have evolved to produce extractive compounds that can protect the wood and these are the main sources of decay resistance in all species. Wood is a natural, sustainable, and organic composite material, it can be affected by several wood- deteriorating agents under suitable climate exposure conditions, which may threaten the long-term performance of timber structures in their service life (Verbist et al. 2019). The biological degradation of wood has a role in carbon cycling in nature, and wood being an organic material is subject to several types of degradation agents (or factors) under suitable climate exposure conditions (Marais et al., 2022). Wood-destroying insects are not ubiquitous like fungi and bacteria, they can however live and degrade wood from the inside for several years before detection. Control of wood moisture is not always enough to limit its occurrence. The main risk factor remains the local hazard, therefore geographical distribution of their occurrence (Marais et al., 2022). According to the EN 350 standard, wood durability is the “resistance of wood to destruction by wood-destroying organisms”. Wood durability can greatly vary depending on the species, the age of the tree (from which the wood is derived), the geographical origin of the tree species, and the growing conditions (Mazela & Popescu, 2017). The microbial degradable carbohydrates and polar hydroxyls in wood absorb moisture, making wood susceptible and attractive material for active biological agents such as termites, molds, fungi, and beetles in the environment (Råberg et al., 2005). The severity and intensity of mold growth are highly dependent on the environmental conditions and the type of wooden material chosen for a particular work or a particular location (Vidholdova et al., 2015). Natural durability may be of high advantage to the living tree because fungal or insect attacks through wounds that subjects’ heartwood will tend to progress at a slower