There is a need for a test method that guarantees exposure of treated wood to soil and preservative-tolerant wood-rotting basidiomycetes as standard field tests do not do this reliably. The ability of a range of selected wood-rotting basidiomycetes to grow through unsterile forest soil was investigated in a Mason jar test assembly. None of the white-rot fungi in test grew through this soil. Four of the brown-rot fungi grew through the soil, and decayed water-treated control mini-stakes to the point of failure during 12 weeks of incubation. Based on the results of this study, consideration of prevalence in North America, preservative tolerance, and pattern of growth, one isolate each of two brown-rot fungi was selected to be used in future accelerated soil bed test experiments to ensure the presence of wood-rotting basidiomycetes in the soil . These were L. pinastri Findlay 141 and F. radiculosa L-7878-Sp. In addition, this unsterile soil-jar test method should be developed into a laboratory screening test for ground contact wood preservatives where biodegradation and basidiomycete exposure are assured.

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