Wood exposed outdoors will eventually be degraded by fungi, depending on exposure and material characteristics. Numerous wooden constructions in the Røros municipality have existed since the 17th century, but wood used in recent repairs have decayed faster than expected. Before 1970 timber was mainly transported by log driving or rafting, and the logs were immersed in water for longer or shorter periods. The effect from immersion on growth of mould fungi is studied, using small samples from wood immersed in fresh or salt water or stored on land. Heartwood was less susceptible to mould than most sapwood. Sapwood from sunken logs, immersed for almost 60 years, performed similarly to heartwood. Immersion for five months in fresh or salt water had no effect, but sapwood immersed in fresh water for two years showed similar performance to sapwood from sunken logs.

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