Blocks of Pinus koraiensis wood were degraded by Gloeophyllum trabeum and examined by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy. Chemical compositions were estimated from relative signal aras. There was no evidence for preferential degradation of the noncrystalline cellulose which accounted for about 4% by weight of the wood. Loss of partly ordered cellulose on crystal surfaces exceeded the loss of crystal-interior cellulose. The proportion of the monoclinic ¦-beta crystalline form increased. The results were interpreted in terms of preferential degradation of crystallites with widths > 3 nm, mostly of the triclinic ¦-alpha form. The spectra showed evidence for loss of hemicellulose, particulary those associated with relatively sharp NMR signals suggesting some degree of molecular ordering, e.g., imposed by proximity to cellulose microfibrils. There was no detectable loss of lignin in the brown-rotted wood samples.

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