The European veneer industry depends greatly on oak supplies from the USA. To prevent the accidental introduction of the American Oak Wilt Disease (Ceratocystis fagacearum) into the member states of the EC, a disinfection treatment was developed for oak logs under consideration of the technical requirements of veneer production. Laboratory experiments and field trials in Germany and in the USA showed that the pathogenic fungus can be eradicated from commercial size oak logs with attached bark by fumigation with 240 g methyl bromide per m³ applied for 3 days at a temperature of 3°C or above. For post-treatment monitoring of the fumigation a viability test using tetrazolium chloride was found to be suitable.

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