Identify this please

[Jim Luttrall]

I live in an area normally not plagued with fungal issues and this stumped me.
This white stuff appeared on several of the 2x4 braces in the attic. The lumber looked solid on most
boards but many were toast when probed. It seems to only effect the 2x4's and not the larger joists and rafters.
Is this fungal?
How to deal with it?
What are the ramifications?3164331644

[Raymond Wand]

This is one case where testing may be able to provide the answer. Otherwise without laboratory assistance its a guess in my view. If the lumber is punky when probed its likely some form of fungi.

Another diagnostic web link for your perusal.

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDgQFjAG&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcwc.ca%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fassessingdecay-Discolorations_on_wood.pdf&ei=lHEgVciqEaixsASHioGQAw&usg=AFQjCNENKmtF43zjGwkz0BjvULcHtO9O6g&sig2=dHxqdSFoGdrHrcgNz5MP_g&bvm=bv.89947451,d.cWc

[Gunnar Alquist]

I live in an area normally not plagued with fungal issues and this stumped me. This white stuff appeared on several of the 2x4 braces in the attic. The lumber looked solid on most boards but many were toast when probed. It seems to only effect the 2x4's and not the larger joists and rafters. Is this fungal? How to deal with it? What are the ramifications?

Difficult to tell from the pics. Looks like the wood in the first photo is cracked, which would indicate rot damage. The second photo kind of looks like sap, but if punky, then probably not.

Ramifications? Well, if the 2x4s were temporary bracing while they were putting in the rafters, then the could be removed and no harm.

How was the attic ventilation?

All I can recommend is to get a WDO inspector in there.

[Jim Luttrall]

Difficult to tell from the pics. Looks like the wood in the first photo is cracked, which would indicate rot damage. The second photo kind of looks like sap, but if punky, then probably not.

Ramifications? Well, if the 2x4s were temporary bracing while they were putting in the rafters, then the could be removed and no harm.

How was the attic ventilation?

All I can recommend is to get a WDO inspector in there.

Definitely not sap wood and good ventilation.
Yea, WDO guys are just bug guys here, no fungus stuff but I had him look at it while he was there for termite (WDI- Wood Destroying Insect) inspection.
There was some orange-ish powder residue in the internal passages that were eaten away. The wood definitely has a problem that weakened it over the last 30 years. No signs of moisture other than the high humidity that is a seasonal occurrence here. It is typically too hot and dry to have much of an issue with fungus in this area.
My thoughts after some research is it is likely wood that was wet and infected with fungus when it was installed during construction and it has just slowly developed over the years. The termite inspector could easily push his probe through the half dozen or so struts that were 2x4's but nothing on the other framing members.
Easy enough to replace these, my concern is whether the stuff will spread to other lumber in the house...

[Jerry Peck]

Maybe some of the other Florida guys here who are WDO inspectors will identify it - its been about 10 years since my last continuing education class when I was also a CPCO and WDO inspector ... I used to know the name of it, the WDO guys in Florida should be able to tell you what they think it is because WDO in Florida covers both insects and fungi.

[Lon Henderson]

When I was building houses in Dallas some 30 odd years ago, we had a stack of lumber on one house, that was so green that it sprayed water on us when we cut it. At the time I thought it was amusing, but now with the education of years in this business, I can see how that could lead to big trouble in the humid environment of Dallas.

[John Kogel]

Wood-destroying fungus like that s pretty common here. It spreads through wood in the lumber yard when the covers are left off. It will attacks logs or planks left laying on the ground. It does need moisture to starts, so if the wood is kiln-dried and kept dry, no problem.
There are a lot of different species of that fungus, and some of them are aggressive enough to spread to sound lumber by growing a web into the wood and drawing moisture out of the wood cells. It will lay dormant until some moisture comes along, so that may be what happened there.

Where it really takes off is in locally milled air-dried wood. I had some deck joists last week that are rotted right through, with just a few patches of white fruit on the surface.

The dark streaks running with the grain are wet patches of rot. My dagger went right thru the heart of that large patch. It didn't even bleed. :D

[Mark Reinmiller]

The first photo looks like white rot-a type of wood decay fungus. It can develop in wood that was wet at the time of construction. It may not have been from water penetration or humidity.

The second photo is not as clear. The dark areas look like pitch pockets.

[Jerry Peck]

I think the wood is damaged from inside in both pictures..

I don't know about "from inside" - but "the inside" is definitely damaged if one can stick a screwdriver through the wood.