Timeless Tips

FUNGI

Fungi are a primitive form of plant life. They contain no chlorophyll, which means they can't convert sunlight to usable energy like other plants. To obtain their energy, fungi will feed on the sugars and starches found in sources such as wood. If left unchecked, fungi will eventually breakdown and destroy the wood it's feeding on.

There are three groups of wood attacking fungi:
- Mold   - Sapstain   - Decay

MOLD AND SAPSTAIN - These organisms are not structurally harmful to wood. They feed on the nutrients contained within the sapwood cells, .

The Problems With Mold and Sapstain are:

- Appearance -- They cause discoloration on the wood surface if it's mold, or below the surface if it's sapstain. This discoloration ranges in color from black, gray, bluish green, and white.

- Increase Capacity of Wood to Hold Water -- They make the wood more porous.

- Biological Warning Sign -- They indicate there is excessive moisture, which can eventually lead to decay if not remedied.

DECAY - These are the fungi that can seriously damage any log or wood structure and the reasons an intelligent maintenance program is so important. Decay feeds off the structural components of wood. i.e., cellulose, hemi-cellulose, and lignin, by breaking them down into simple sugars for easy consumption.

There are three types of decay fungi:
- Brown Rot -- The wood is brown, crumbly and breaks into small cubical pieces; the strength of the wood decreases rapidly as decay proceeds. Brown rot has commonly been mislabeled "dry rot" implying that wood can decay without being wet, which it cannot! Brown rot often looks unusually dry, being brown and cracked across the grain as though it had been severely heated. This group of fungi causes most wood damage of any economic importance!

- White Rot -- The decayed wood often assumes a bleached appearance and feels spongy; the strength of the wood decreases gradually with little loss in strength occurring during the early stages of decay. It doesn't crack across the grain like brown rot and until severely degraded, it doesn't shrink or collapse.

- Soft Rot -- The fungi that causes soft rot is in a completely different group than the more familiar brown and white rot fungi. Physiologically they tolerate both wetter and drier climates. Wood decayed by soft rot fungi softens gradually from the surface inward. Soft rot occurs primarily in water-cooling towers, in marine habitats, and in wood in contact with soil.

Fungi require four elements to survive.
- Food Source
Wood
- Temperature
Decay: 68 - 97°F. (23 - 36°C)
Mold and sapstain - 75 - 85°F. (24 - 29°C)
- Oxygen 
Decay requires 20% free oxygen in the wood. That's why wood kept totally submerged in water will not rot.
- Water
Decay requires 28 - 30% moisture content in the wood. Wood does not have to be in contact with water; stagnant, damp, humid air will suffice.

Eliminate any one of these four elements and fungi cannot survive.

Realistically, the only element we can have some influence over is water. So the fundamental strategy of a log home maintenance program is to eliminate or at least reduce the effects of moisture. In fact, there is a direct correlation between mold, mildew, and decay problems and insect problems. Many problem insects also require higher levels of moisture to thrive.

This sections content was provided by The Continental Products Company.