A significant increase in the fungal durability of wood was achieved by using a modification procedure combining two environmentally friendly methods: thermal modification and mineralisation. It offers an ecological alternative to other biocidal treatments. European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) were selected as model wood species and exposed to four different fungi: Gloeophyllum trabeum, Rhodonia placenta, Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus ostreatus. The highest durability against Rhodonia placenta, Trametes versicolor and Pleurotus ostreatus was achieved through thermal modification in both wood species. The newly proposed mineralisation and thermal modification combination was the most effective against Gloeophyllum trabeum. At the exposed samples, we found that modified wood is less vulnerable to fungal decay than the reference wood. The slightly alkaline environment of both mineralised wood species is one of the parameters likely to slow down fungal activity compared to the more acidic environment of the reference and thermally modified wood.

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