Wood-plastic composites (WPCs) are increasingly used in decking applications, where exterior exposure can lead to sufficient moisture for fungal deterioration. Standard tests recommended to assess fungal durability of WPC, but initially developed for wood or woodbased panels, are not applied in this study because the similarity in moisture behaviour for wood (-based panels) and WPC is questione...

White-rot fungi possess the unique ability to degrade and mineralize all the different components of wood. In other respects, wood durability, among other factors, is due to the presence of extractives that are potential antimicrobial molecules. To cope with these molecules, wood decay fungi have developed a complex detoxification network including glutathione transferases (GST). The interactio...

The tree stability-assessment methodology currently used in Italian cities initially follows a visual analysis of individual trees, followed by an evaluation of the internal state using different instruments that are often invasive, expensive, or cannot be effectively used in the urban environment. Moreover, many of these instruments do not provide an adequate evaluation of decay that occurs in...

Ergosterol involves in fungal cell growth as a major component in fungal cell membranes. It can be an indicator that shows the fungal activity, and its content depends on the fungal strains, culture, growth conditions and so on. In this study, fungal activities and growth patterns of three white-rot fungi strains isolated in Korea were evaluated by determination of ergosterol contents during th...

This study was aimed to determine combustion characteristics and decay resistance of Spruce [Picea orientalis (L.)], Fir (Abies nordmanniana), Alder [Alnus glutinosa (L.)], and Iroko (Milicia excelsa) woods impregnated with ammonium tetrafluoro borate (1 to 3%) and the mixture of cement and borax (6% to 9%). The combustion test method was performed in three stages: flame stage, without flame st...

Wood is the main renewable material on Earth and is largely used as building material and in paper-pulp manufacturing. This review describes the composition of lignocellulosic materials, the different processes by which fungi are able to alter wood, including decay patterns caused by white, brown, and soft-rot fungi, and fungal staining of wood. The chemical, enzymatic, and molecular aspects of...

Decaying wood is related to nutrient cycling through its role as either a sink or source of nutrients. However, at micro scales, what is the effect of decaying logs on the physical, chemical, and biotic characteristics of the soil underneath? We took samples from a 0 to 5 cm depth under and a 50 cm distance away from decaying logs (Dacryodes excelsa and Swietenia macrophylla) at 2 stages of dec...

Three commercial silicone emulsions with different functional groups i.e., quat-silicone micro-emulsion (<40 nm particle size), amino-silicone macro-emulsion (110 nm), and silicone macro-emulsion with alkylmodified side groups (740 nm) were used to protect wood samples against fungal decay. The addition of the emulsions to an agar growth medium revealed that all three silicone formulations inhi...

Fungi are primary agents of organic matter decomposition in forests. Although invertebrate grazing affects fungal biomass and morphology, the species-specific consequences of these interactions are little understood. Using three collembola species (Folsomia candida, Protaphorura armata, Proisotoma minuta) we employed a multi-trophic approach to investigate the individual effects of invertebrate...