Spalting in timber
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries. A guide to the use of urban timber (FB 50) was written by Geoff Cooper and published by BRE on 31 July 2012.
The guide gives the following explanation of ‘spalting’:
| In the early stages of infection of timber by fungi, certain fungal species cause the development of conspicuous dark lines (zone lines) and various colour changes to develop throughout the timber. The figure created by the myriad of dark intersecting lines is commonly known as spalting. Although this can be found on a range of different species, beech, Fagus sp., seems particularly prone to this form of attack. |
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