8 BULLETIN 496, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



At the bottom of brush piles a fungus which has been identified as 

 Polyporus amorphus was rather common. It apparently does not 

 attack branches and limbs which are not in contact with the soil. 



Merulius ambiguus was occasionally found on small branches, 

 while Femes annosus, Poria subacida, and P. vaporaria were found 

 on large prostrate limbs, trunks, and stumps. Polyporus palustris, 

 Fomes annosus, and Cortic'mm galactinum seem to be the principal 

 fungi rotting the pine stumps. 



BRUSH WHEN PULLED. 



All of the needles in the tops of felled shortleaf-pine trees will 

 fall in from one to three years, depending somewhat on the locality 

 in which the timber is located. The branches will gradually rot, 

 and many of them will have fallen from the trunk at the end of 

 three to four years. By the end of five years practically all of the 

 branches, large and small, in the tops will have rotted and fallen 

 to the ground. Also, most of the sapwood in the boles and cull logs 

 will have rotted in this time. 



Pitchy limbs and trunks containing much resin rot very slowly 

 and may be found long after the less resinous wood has dis- 

 appeared. 



Polystictus abietinus and Lenzites sepiaria seem to rot branches 

 which are 8 to 10 feet from the ground just as rapidly as those near 

 the ground. Lenzites sepiaria also attacks decorticated logs and the 

 exposed portions of railroad ties after they are laid in the track. 



BRUSH WHEN PILED. 



Shortleaf-pine brush piles were examined, ranging from 1 to 5 

 years in age. It was found that during the first year after the tree 

 Avas cut but little rotting occurred, even in the small branches. By 

 the end of the second or third year practically all of the needles had 

 fallen from the limbs which were exposed to the sun's rays, while the 

 needles in the middle of the piles, which were protected by the 

 overlying brush, were in good condition and still attached to the 

 limbs. In five years, brush at the top of the piles had practically 

 rotted as far as the fungi which were attacking them could rot it. 

 while the brush in the middle of the piles showed few signs, if any, 

 of rotting. In the bottom of the piles the brush was well rotted, but 

 by fungi different from those rotting the brush at the top of the piles. 

 In other words, a brush pile of shortleaf pine will be rotted at the 

 top by Lenzites sepiaria and Polystictus abietinus, the center of the 

 pile will be rotted but little, while the brush at the bottom of the pile 

 in contact with the soil will be rotted by certain ground fungi, one 

 of which has been identified as Polyporus amorphus. This means 

 that before the center of the brush piles will rot, both the top and 



