Pocket rot in Taxodium

• To: Multiple recipients of list FOREST <FOREST@LISTSERV.FUNET.FI>
• Subject: Pocket rot in Taxodium
• From: graham brister <GBRISTER@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
• Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 13:24:43 -0500
• content-length: 770
• Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT
• Reply-To: FOREST Mailing list on forest research and studies <FOREST@LISTSERV.FUNET.FI>
• Sender: OWNER-FOREST@LISTSERV.FUNET.FI

I have a question for my colleagues in Forest Pathology and perhaps
Wood Technology.  Bald Cypress and Pond Cypress (genus Taxodium) in the
southeastern states of the USA often displays what is commonly known as
"pecky wood".  This is a condition resulting from the activity of a
fungus of the genus Stereum.  The shape of the "pocket" is interesting in
that it looks like a large diameter insect tunnel and even contains
broken down wood residue which resembles insect frass.  My impression
is that the pocket or "tunnel" always runs vertically or near vertically
in the stem.  My question has two parts: (a) why does the fungus activity
not diffuse into the surrounding wood but remain in the pocket or
"tunnel"? and (b) what causes the pocket to stop where it stops?

• Prev: Re: Sustainable Forest Management
• Next: Re: Sustainable Forest Management
• Index: Forest mailing list December 1995
• Thread: Forest list subjects in December 1995