Abstract: The presence of decay is determined in wood by testing a sample. The wood tested may be standing timber, cut timber or when coated in building structures. The testing occurs in very short time intervals so that tests can be carried out on timber in mills and the like. The method of testing includes heating a portion of a wood sample at a temperature in the range of about 220.degree. to 350.degree. C. to evaporate analytes from the wood, conveying the analytes in a sample gas flow into an ionizing chamber of an ion mobility spectrometer detector, ionizing the analytes within the ionizing chamber at a temperature in the range of about 220.degree. to 350.degree. C., generating an ion drift time signature in the detector, and comparing the signature with predetermined signatures representing decay in wood.

Abstract: A method and apparatus to produce an ion mobility signature representing a wood sample provides a method of comparing signatures to identify the species of the wood sample. A method of producing an ion drift time signature representing a wood species comprises heating at least a portion of a wood sample at a temperature in the range of about 220.degree. to 350.degree. C. to desorb and produce trace vapors from the wood sample, ionize the trace vapors at a temperature in the range of about 220.degree. to 350.degree. C., pulse ions through a gate into a drift region, measure the time of arrival of the ions and the ion flux for each pulse, with a collector electrode, located at the end of the drift region to produce an ionic signal, and amplify and average the ionic signal to provide an ion drift time signature for the wood sample.