Dodgy Oak

[andychrystal]

I got a fair chunk of Oak from a nearby sports club only to discover whilst chopping it up for storage that parts of the wood look to be diseased or rotted. The areas of concern are white and almost foam like in appearance, I have never had this problem before and was wondering if anyone would know what the cause of this is and the best way to dispose of the affected wood responsibly, obviously not wanting to risk spreading any disease and not to keen on burning it either.

 

The tree it came from was felled in December, apparently getting to close to the club house.

 

Any advice with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Andy

[Alinicoll]

If you can put some pics up someone may be able to help you Andy.

[sean]

sounds like it could well be a white rot caused by Ganoderma.? The lignin gets degraded leaving a white spongy cellulose rich material.

[andychrystal]

I ll try and post some pics tomorrow, but after looking up Ganoderma and white rot on the net, I am fairly confident thats what it is. Still not sure what to do with the affected wood though.

[Mesterh]

Its probably not worth burning (the rotted parts) since there will be nothing to it once its dried, although you could.

 

Or put it in your green wheelie bin if you have one or take it to the local tip and put it in the green waste skip.

 

Wont do any harm or spread the fungi about IMO.

[Giles Hill]

Don't worry, it's unlikely to be a bio-hazard. Ganoderma and other decay fungi are naturally occurring and essential organisms. Their spores are everywhere, so I shouldn't worry about your logs. If they're too far gone to burn on your stove, you can leave them in a heap outside to rot away - they will provide a good habitat for insects, which will in turn be good for birds and bats etc.