Colonization of sugar maple by spalting fungi

From the paper

Abstract

Woodworkers have long used spalted wood because of its unique coloration and patterns. Most wood is found and used after fungal invasion; however there has been growing interest in inducing spalting in clear wood. The process to induce spalting is highly variable, and numerous "home recipes" exist. There has been no scientific research conducted on the visual effects of different fungi, or how long wood can be incubated before substantial weight loss occurs. In this study, sugar maple (Acer saccharum) blocks were inoculated with 21 fungus combinations and evaluated at intervals up to 16 weeks. Internal amounts of bleaching, pigmentation, and zone lines were recorded, along with mean percent weight loss. Combinations of Bjerkandera adusta / Trametes versicolor and Polyporus brumalis / Trametes versicolor produced the most internal spalting (bleaching and zone lines), with moderate amounts of weight loss.