Thread: Oregon Fungus

Slim,

Fungal decay of wood commonly involves a number of different fungi, including hair-like strands. The white stain could indicate more advanced decay. Fungi often establish on the surface of green timber if it is not dried soon after milling, or if the surface stays wet continuously.
Humid conditions slow down drying, increasing the risk of fungal attack.
'Soft rots' progress more quickly in saturated wood.

Douglas Fir (Oregon) can rot badly when kept wet.
You should try poking the stains with a screw driver to check for structural damage, and dig out all brittle or softened wood.
If the timber is sound, the surface could be scrubbed with a deck brush and a mould remover, but you should test a small section first to see what effect it has. Some bleach - type mould removers might not be suitable for timber. There is a mild acid (I think it might be Acetic acid) which can be used to remove stains on timber. You could check the instructions on some of these products at your paint shop. Blue fungal stain cannot be removed except by machining off the affected parts.

There are also wood preserving treatments available which prevent fungus from growing, but they can be toxic. CCA treatment was used for many years on pine wood, but it is now restricted because of long term health risks.

If you want more info, a book called "Wood in Australia" by Keith Bootle covers fungal decay thoroughly, and gives all the properties of Douglas Fir. Your local library might have it's catalogue on-line. This is an excellent reference on properties and uses of a wide range of woods.

Rob

Great post Rod. thanks

The acid to remove stains on timber is Oxalic Acid used as 10% solution.
Usual precautions should be taken - gloves, eye protection, etc

Thanks for the replies.
I have attached (I think) a couple of pics of the dreaded fungus.
I will certainly be buying a copy of Wood in Australia. I have just, 'Googled it' and It sounds like it should be compulsory reading for all woodworkers.
In the meantime I am going to remove the effected pieces of wood from the pack and discard.
Slim

That white fungus looks just like the one on a treated pine sleeper I bought from Bunnings last week. I wasnt sure if I should do anything about it before putting it in the garden

Slim,

Discarding the mouldy pieces, and re-stacking the rest with spacers sounds like a good option. If the stacks aren't under cover, you need to protect them from rain, but still allow air circulation.

ClintO,

Surface fungus on treated timber should not matter, since the treatment is supposed to prevent decay. When the timber is used in the garden it will come into contact with moisture and moulds. This summer was unusually wet and humid in Melbourne (probably more like Sydney weather) and lots of mould could be seen on mulches, logs and plants.

You might reconsider using the treated timber if you are building a raised vegetable bed, since there could be a risk that the chemical treatment might leach out into the soil. The reason why use of Copper-Chrone-Arsenate(CCA) treatment has been restricted is that the chemicals leach out to the surface over time, and have been linked to inreased incidence of serious illnesses in children. Whether the current treatments have any health risks I don't know. Just to be sure, untreated, uncontaminated red-gum would be a better choice for food-growing areas.

Rob