British grown Scots and Corsican pine poles were sampled for colonization by basidiomycetes after air-seasoning for 6 to 9, or 16 to 20 months. The amount of infection present in these poles was compared with that in poles which were imported from Finland. After 6 to 9 months seasoning, the British grown pine poles were heavily infected with Peniophora gigantea, Cylindrobasidium evolvens, Stereum sanguinolentum, and Heterobasidion annosum, which were isolated from about 35, 20, 10, and 6% of the increment cores sampled, respectively. In poles which had seasoned for 16 to 20 months, the frequency of isolation of Stereum sanguinolentum was much greater, while that of Cylindrobasidium evolvens had decreased. Poles imported from Finland were heavily colonized by Stereum sanguinolentum and Cylindrobasidium evolvens (40 and 35% of cores, respectively), but generally showed little colonization by Peniophora gigantea and none by Heterobasidion annosum. The high incidence of Peniophora gigantea in British grown poles from forests where this fungus is used as a stump treatment to control Heterobasidion annosum may be cause for concern.

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