Structural damage and potential health risks caused by wood decay and mold fungi in residential structures have been a major concern for homeowners, building contractors and insurance companies alike. The combined damage from decay fungi and mold claims exceeds several billion US dollars annually. Protection against decay and mold growth on wood is a critical economic concern for the building i...

With the aim of wood production with negligible negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem processes, a silvicultural practice of selective logging with natural regeneration has been implemented in European beech forests (Fagus sylvatica) during the last decades. Despite this near-to-nature strategy, species richness of various taxa is lower in these forests than in unmanaged forests. To de...

Five kinds of commercially available wood-based composites (softwood plywood, hardwood plywood, medium density fiberboard, oriented strand board, and particle board, hereinafter abbreviated as SWP, HWP, MDF, OSB, and PB, respectively) post-treated with alkaline copper quat (ACQ) and copper azole (CA) were exposed to decay and subterranean termite activity under protected above-ground conditions...

We developed a new screening method for potential wood preservatives based on decolorization of the dye Remazol Brilliant Blue R by extracellular oxidative agents produced by wood decay fungi. Oxidative biodegradation of lignin yielded decolorized zones around and under fungal cultures on a dyed agar medium. Inhibitory effects were detected by direct observation and measurement of the decoloriz...

Melanin formation and assembly by fungi has largely been investigated mainly for its importance in pathogenesis, as well as to establish the functions and biosynthetic pathways of melanin formed during the process of successional wood decay. It is known that melanin formation varies based on fungal species, especially melanin produced by ascomycetes versus basidiomycetes, and that the mechanism...

Our purpose in this chapter is to provide an overview of the enzymology and associated molecular genetics of wood decay by white-rot fungi. These fungi are able to fragment the major structural polymers of wood and other lignocellulosics-lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses—and to further metabolize the fragments. The whiterot fungi and related litter-degrading fungi are perhaps nature’s major...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of natural weathering in ground contact on biological resistance, modulus of rupture, and color stability of heat-treated alder wood. Chemical composition of weathered wood was also studied by FTIR-ATR spectra. Wood stakes were heated at 150, 180, and 200°C for periods of 2, 6, and 10 hours, and the stakes were subsequently exposed to na...