EN
The technical state of wooden monuments in Poland deteriorates at a terrifying tempo. Lack of conservation is the reason why relics suffer from a high moisture content w hich is followed by a whole complex of agencies — both biotic and abiotic. The participation of bacteria, moulds, soft rot fungi, lichen and algae is growing among factors which produce the degradation of wood. In this situation, the choice of wood preservatives should take into consideration the reaction of those organisms. At the threshold of the twenty first century we are faced with the problem of a selection of chemical protective measures and the elimination of ones regarded by the health authorities as harmful for the environment. The role of stabilizing and hardening chemicals, other than biocides, as well as non-chemical methods of protection is rapidly growing.