Weathering of Wood

Weathering is the general term used to define the slow degradation of materials exposed to the weather. The degradation mechanism depends on the type of material, but the cause is a combination of factors found in nature: moisture, sunlight, heat/cold, chemicals, abrasion by windblown materials, and biological agents. Tall mountains weather by the complex and relentless action of these factors. All natural and man-made materials weather; for polymeric materials, the weathering rate is considerably faster than the degradation of mountains. Many of the materials we depend on for clothing and shelter undergo degradation by the weathering process.