ABSTRACT

This chapter explains why degradation of floral materials occurs even when they are embedded in a saturated organic soil deposit, and describes what procedures should be implemented to preserve wood and other plant materials removed from those deposits in order to prevent further degradation. The world of wet site archaeology is fortunate that The International Council of Museums (ICOM) has an active and productive Working Group on Wet Organic Archaeological Materials. The roster includes chemists, conservators, wood anatomists, wood products specialists, foresters, historians, artists, archaeologists, and museum curators and exhibitors. In Florida, environmental factors have not been measured for many sites where wooden artifacts have been found. Florida's undisturbed organic deposits satisfy all of these requirements, including temperature, and this explains why spectacular wooden artifacts have survived at numerous sites in Florida. In Florida, preservation of shipwrecks and their artifacts is conducted by the State Division of Historical Resources, Tallahassee.