Within this study we applied different new above ground test set ups to untreated Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and Scots pine sapwood (Pinus sylvestris L.) which are frequently used as reference or control species in wood durability field tests. The overall aim of this study was to find a simple alternative method to the few standardized above ground field test methods, such as the L-joint and the lap-joint methods, and to overcome some of their shortcomings (e.g. costly and time-consuming specimen preparation, occurrence of hardly detectable interior rot behind sealants or coatings). Therefore, different bundle type specimens were exposed above ground and monitored in terms of moisture content for one year and fungal decay for up to eight years. Both wood species decayed rather fast and all four different bundle compositions accelerated decay compared to single stake shaped specimens. Brown rot was the dominating rot type independent from the set up and the wood species. The global moisture content (MC) of the specimens was not extremely high, but obviously wetting close to the contact faces was sufficient to allow fungal infestation and decay. Also from a practical point of view the set ups performed in a promising way: specimen preparation was simple and inexpensive, decay assessments were easy, and decay progress sufficiently fast, partly faster than expected from a moderate moisture induced risk as determined for all four bundle type specimens.

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