# Firewood has fungi (pictures) should I keep it or dump it?



## mship123 (May 16, 2006)

Hi,
Just uncovered some wood that has a large amount of fungi.. wont be burning it until the winter so Im not sure if I should keep it and hope the summer heat kills it or get rid of it? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks


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## mship123 (May 16, 2006)

*Also just noticed..*

If you look at the first picture, there are some little podlike things to the right.. anyone know what those are?


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## BlueRidgeMark (May 16, 2006)

If it's dry, burn it. It's just cellulose re-arranged a bit. Same thing as the wood.

I find the stuff burns pretty quickly, so you have to assume it has degraded the wood somewhat. But it burns.


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## ranchjn (May 16, 2006)

mship123 said:


> Hi,
> Just uncovered some wood that has a large amount of fungi.. wont be burning it until the winter so Im not sure if I should keep it and hope the summer heat kills it or get rid of it? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks



i am not an expert nor do i know about the environment in which you season your firewood, but i would assume that the wet wood when covered with a tarp creates a perfect moist habitat for fungus to grow. do you have any uncovered firewood from the same tree that has the same fungi growing on it?


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## mship123 (May 16, 2006)

Just a bit and it doesnt have the same problem so the tarp might be the culprit. Last year I had leftover wood that didnt do this though..not sure what is different in terms of the conditions.


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## ranchjn (May 16, 2006)

mship123 said:


> Just a bit and it doesnt have the same problem so the tarp might be the culprit. Last year I had leftover wood that didnt do this though..not sure what is different in terms of the conditions.



there are tons of variables of which you have no control that can affect the seasoning process. humidity could be one of them, as it changes from year to year. I recommend leaving your wood untarped to prevent moisture from collecting there. I would still burn it if i were you, but then thats just me  I doubt the fungi will release some toxic fumes when burned, but it is best to check and do some web searches. Just hope it doesnt burn like poison oak


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## 12guns (May 16, 2006)

*problem solved*

Get rid of the moisture, you'll get rid of the fungus. If it's dry enough, It can't survive.


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## snowfreak (May 16, 2006)

Some of the trees I cut down have similar fungi and some look to have actual mushrooms growing off the bark. I season them and use them for campfire wood and they burn quickly but still burn. The shroooms are cool to watch burn off in the flames, not quite as fun to watch as the ants pouring out into the flames though. Once dry they will burn just fine, good for those crisp fall mornings to take the edge off.


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## PA. Woodsman (May 16, 2006)

mship123 said:


> Hi,
> Just uncovered some wood that has a large amount of fungi.. wont be burning it until the winter so Im not sure if I should keep it and hope the summer heat kills it or get rid of it? Advice would be greatly appreciated.
> Thanks



I would just cover the top with the tarp, not the sides. You can tell by the pictures that the edges of a lot of the wood is "pithy' (soft) because of the moisture attacking it. It will still burn, but not as efficiently as it would if it wasn't attacked by the excess moisture. If it bothers you, scrape the "mushrooms" off with a putty knife-they remove easily when wet like after a rain. Leave the sides exposed to wind and sun to prevent further damage.


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## mactel (May 17, 2006)

oh, no! you don't want to burn that nasty stuff. I'll be over as soon as possible to pick it up... 

kidding of course- either just tarp the top or as I do leave untarpped for the summer and slap a tarp on end of september.


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## Slyder (May 18, 2006)

When you pick it up does it feel like Balsa wood?
If not,
Burn it!


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