The causes of degradation are explained in terms of the enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose and the swelling of the cell walls. How various sources of biodeterioration - fungi, bacteria, insects, shipworms, and wood-borers - behave are described. Waterlogged wood appears to have been preserved, but material loss usually occurs, marked by loss of structural strength. The first stage of a conservation treatment is analysis: identification of the wood species and those wood features still present; the type and extent of degradation; and the organic and inorganic contaminants. Summary of information presented at the Waterlogged Wood Working Group, Ottawa, September 1981, covers the behavior of wood on drying, analysis and classification, treatments and archaeological conservation, and professional relations. -- AATA