Dynamics of wood decay in the cross-section of logs as a result of long-term storage in a landing yard

A study was carried out in three deadwood landing yards: two with pine wood and one with spruce wood. Three measuring baskets were placed on each landing yard. In each basket round timbers were arranged in three test layers. In each layer, seven round timbers were arranged. Two cross-sections were photographed on each roller. Photographs obtained during successive trials were analyzed with the MultiScan program. Measurements were taken 12 times, at the start (month 0) and then at intervals of 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48 and 54 months. It was found that blue stain became invisible on the cross-sections of pine round timbers after 12 months and in spruce after 6 months. On the cross-sections of pine round timbers, it was observed that hard rot appeared only after 9 months. In spruce wood, the presence of hard rot was already evident from month 0. In most cases, the largest areas of hard rot were found in the upper layers. In the case of soft rot, isolated cases of its occurrence were recorded only after 12 months in pine wood, and after 6 months in spruce wood. After 24 months the number of cross-sections with this type of rot increased sharply. Natural depreciation processes of wood raw materials resulting from long storage cause negative changes in its quality. However, these changes are not significant, meaning that after 54 months of storage, the wood is still mostly a full-value raw material.