We previously proposed that extractives in highly durable angiosperm heartwood may protect wood against white-rot fungal colonization and subsequent degradation by a dual mechanism: extractives have some fungicidal activity and are also free radical scavengers (antioxidants) and thus interfere with the fungal free radical degradative mechanisms. We tested this hypothesis using the commercial biocide DDAC, which has no antioxidant properties, in laboratory decay tests using angiosperm sapwood and white-rot fungi. When the commercial antioxidant BHT, which has no fungicidal activity, was present a dramatic increase in the efficacy of DDAC was observed. This synergistic effect may have commercial applications.

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