[Mark Hatcher]

Spalting comes in a lot of ways but it is various fungi that cause it. In standing living trees where you see streaking, like this Sugar Maple, it usually starts from bugs drilling holes. I’ve heard it said that the fungi find bug poop quite enticing and it grows out from there. I think the tap holes left in the trees and the sweet sap in them is all you need to attract plenty of bugs or maybe that is all that is needed for the fungi to start.

I usually see the white rot fungi with the marbled black lines in wood that is in a more advanced level of decay. I see this mostly in woods that are laying on the damp forest floor. There is a finite window of opportunity if we’re concerned about the strength in of the wood because the fungi are making the wood lighter weight but are definitely weakening the wood.

There is a lot of science in all of this and it’s fascinating to read up on. There are hazards to avoid so it’s important to gain some understanding before working with it.

You can even buy fungus cultures that bring up a variety of different colors if you want to start growing your own!