Brown cubical rot of birch
Description
Micro-habitat(s)
Trunk
Distribution
Canada
Damage, symptoms and biology
Piptoporus betulinus is often present in dead branches of dying trees. After trees die, rot develops in the bark and sapwood, and generally spreads to the centre of the trunk. Infected wood decays rapidly; laboratory studies have shown reduction of wood density of 30 to 70% in four months.
Other information
Piptoporus betulinus is one of the few brown rotting fungi that only attacks hardwoods. Although it is restricted to birch hosts in nature, other tree species such as pine, spruce, and poplar have been successfully inoculated in lab and field experiments.
Canadian Forest Service Publications
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