Inhibition of Wood-Decay Fungi by Wetwood of White Fir

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Abstract
Growth assays of wetwood fluid in vitro suggested that wetwood of white fir is inhibitory to Heterobasidion annosum (= Fomes annosus). Redox potentials and O2 diffusion rates indicated hypoxic conditions in wetwood, and H. annosum and other decay fungi were sensitive in vitro to such O2 availabilities. Although Cx cellulase of H. annosum was unaffected by O2, laccase activity was highly O2 dependent, indicating that wood-decay capability may be even more sensitive to O2 availability than is growth on laboratory media. In addition, low MW organic acids (acetic, propionic, butyric) were present in wetwood in concentrations that inhibited or prevented fungal growth. Properties of intact wetwood may substantially restrict or prevent colonization and decay by H. annosum. Individual trees vary greatly in properties influencing fungal growth.