A certain concentration of water in the air is needed for the reactions that cause wood to decay. Some timbers from Hopi pueblos have been preserved
for hundreds of years in the high desert.
However, a rowboat abandoned on a beach can rot away in just a few years.
Review the information in the data table. What can you conclude about the
rates of these reactions?
Object
Location
Decay time
Average
concentration of
water in the air
Arizona desert
Very low
Pueblo roof
beam
1,000 years or
more
Wooden rowboat Oregon beach
High
5 to 10 years