Green and white mold on Eastern White Pine

[AnthonyW]

So this is a new one on me, but then again most of this stuff is. I went to move some of my EWP that I had stickered and air drying and found several boards that had either green mold, white mold, or both on. The lumber was stacked on top of two layers of wooden pallets (I was using one layer but in a previous thread was mentioned it should be higher off the ground) and stickered with 1" EWP stickers. Unfortunately not having a stock of dry stickers, these were freshly cut. The stack was topped off with a layer of 4ft wide sheet metal (from an old above ground metal sided pool). It was in morning and evening sun, but shaded during noontime peak now that winter is coming it is lower in the sky.

[isawlogs]

 Too much humidity, not enough air flow, pine is a bitch to dry. 

The use of green stickers is  not a good idea, that in itself, will create mold in summer. Dried stickers is a must with green pine.   

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

In addition to the previous posting:  High air flow and low humidity are two keys to drying pine fast enough.  The mold means slow drying.  It is not a bad thing, as it is only on the surface, but other fungi may be present on the inside of the lumber and some of the chemical stains (brown and sticker) can be developing.

[AnthonyW]

As I was moving the stacks around this weekend, we noticed the mold is only on the EWP sapwood. Thought that was interesting.

[logboy]

As I was moving the stacks around this weekend, we noticed the mold is only on the EWP sapwood. Thought that was interesting.

And thats the only place youre going to find it. The fungus and mold are eating the sugars in the wood which are in the sapwood. Next time use dry stickers. It's never okay to use wet stickers. Second, next time you're stacking, put the boards with more sapwood, especially those with wane, on the outside of the stack. I noticed over the years that the fungus seems to start on any wane and spreads from there, almost like its already living on the bark (maybe @GeneWengert-WoodDoc can weigh in on that). Doing that cut down on my mold/fungus issues considerably. It also helps the stack to dry more evenly since the sapwood has a higher moisture content than the heartwood.

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

I can only add that rapid drying (low humidity and good air flow) to reduce the moisture below what the mold needs is the key.  When this cannot be done, then a fungicide on the lumber's surface can be used, but it must be one that works on wood.

[AnthonyW]

As I was moving the stacks around this weekend, we noticed the mold is only on the EWP sapwood. Thought that was interesting.

And thats the only place youre going to find it. The fungus and mold are eating the sugars in the wood which are in the sapwood. Next time use dry stickers. It's never okay to use wet stickers. Second, next time you're stacking, put the boards with more sapwood, especially those with wane, on the outside of the stack. I noticed over the years that the fungus seems to start on any wane and spreads from there, almost like its already living on the bark (maybe @GeneWengert-WoodDoc can weigh in on that). Doing that cut down on my mold/fungus issues considerably. It also helps the stack to dry more evenly since the sapwood has a higher moisture content than the heartwood.

I agree that dry stickers would be best, but I don't have a stock pile of stickers. I have to make them as I go. The stickers are not moldy. There is no mold under the stickers (reverse sticker stain?) and the mold stops nearly exactly as the seam between the sap and heart wood. It does not seem to be progressing...yet. Since I was moving and restacking, I moved the moldy heart wood to its own two board wide stack. One both piles, I placed the sapwood toward the outside edge as you suggested, but before you posted.