Well I'm not a trained pro or a PHD but I can tell you by experience that charring wood well help it last longer, the old people in the mountains of Tenn. did it all the time. They well tell you the spring is the best time to do it because the sapp comes to the surface in the pine trees as the tree cools and remains there and acts as a barrier against water and some insects. I have seen this proven out over time and it does seem to work. But I will add this process seems to work much but on pine, ceder, white pines and trees that have type of sapp.