THE INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON THE LOCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF DECAY FUNGI IN LODGEPOLE PINE LOGGING SLASH

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In an investigation to determine the fungal flora of lodgepole pine logging slash and the growth rates and decaying abilities of the principal fungi in vitro as contrasted with conditions in nature, four hymenomycetes were isolated consistently and proved to cause most of the decay; Lenzites saepiaria Wulf. ex Fr., Peniophora phlebioides Jacks. and Dearden, Stereum sanguinolentum Alb. and Schw. ex Fr., and Coniophora puteana (Schum. ex Fr.) Karst. These four fungi comprised 80% of the basidiomycetes isolated from slash. Peniophora phlebioides predominated in the upper portions of individual pieces of slash, Lenzites saepiaria in the center, and Coniophora puteana and Stereum sanguinolentum in the lower portions. Relatively broad temperature ranges and high temperature optima were demonstrated for P. phlebioides and L. saepiaria to grow and cause decay, in contrast with the narrower temperature ranges and lower optimal temperatures demonstrated for C. puteana and S. sanguinolentum. The internal temperatures of slash were proved to fluctuate between wider extremes in the upper portions of slash than in the lower portions. This is believed to be a partial explanation of the characteristic distributions of individual fungi within slash. The relative decaying abilities of the four main fungi as indicated by wood block tests, in decreasing order of importance were: L. saepiaria, C. puteana, P. phlebioides, S. sanguinolentum. Because of its greater frequency, however, P. phlebioides probably ranks higher in the scale of slash decayers than C. puteana.