What Causes Spalted Wood

Spalting is caused by certain white-rot decay fungi growing in wood–primarily hardwoods such as maple, birch, and beech. The fungi create —zone lines“ in the wood where territories of competing fungi meet. … If these decay fungi are allowed to grow for too long, however, the strength of the wood is diminished.

How do you stop wood from spalting?

I rough-turn my spalted bowl blanks first, then let them air dry for about a year to stop the fungal growth. After that, put your dust mask on and turn them like any other bowl.

Can any wood Spalt?

All wood can decay, therefore all wood can spalt. There are no ‘ideal’ woods for spalting, but all wood species spalt differently, and some fungi prefer some wood species to others.