The permeability of refractory wood species e.g. Picea abies and Abies alba is reduced resulting in a radial penetration of chemical solutions of only a few millimetres. Exploitation of these wood species is therefore not possible for many applications. A novel biotechnological method (European patent 05027812.6) based on the pre-treatment of wood with the white-rot fungus Physisporinus vitreus significantly improves the permeability of wood. The present study confirms that `bioincising´ is a promising method for increasing the uptake of a range of wood preservatives and wood modification agents for fire protection, UV protection and dimensional stability or hardness.

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