Potential Use of Native Fungi for Value-Added Spalting in Chile

Chile is host to several types of temperate forests, many of which are plantations of moderate-to low-value woods. In an effort to explore potential methods of adding value to radiata pine and southern beech, these woods were inoculated with native Chilean fungi to determine if spalting could be induced under a reasonable time frame. Results showed that pine spalted more readily than beech, both internally and externally. Ophiostoma sp. and Phialocephala sp. performed the best in terms of spalting. In addition, a new red-staining fungus was discovered: Eurotium sp. Both wood species did show some level of spalting, and all the captured fungi produced some visual effects. It is concluded that two of the major plantation trees of Chile, radiata pine and southern beech, are suitable for controlled spalting and that native Chilean fungi can be used for this process. These results open a new method for increasing the value of Chilean plantation timber and can be done entirely on a local scale, without reliance on materials or organisms from North America.