The influence of initial moisture content on wood decay at different levels of atmospheric oxygen concentration was studied. Three fungi, Coriolus versicolor a white rot, Coniophora puteana a brown rot, and Chaetomium globosum a soft rot, were chosen. The mycelia of the fungi were inoculated on mini blocks of Fagus sylvatica (beech) and Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine). Incubations were under four levels of oxygen concentrations (1, 5, 10, and 21%) at 22°C. It can be summarised that in low oxygen concentrations, increase of the moisture content had a negative effect on the wood decay process in both wood species when exposed to C. versicolor and C. puteana Basidiomycetes). In air, the effect of initial moisture content on wood decay by these fungi corresponded to the fungi characteristics and the wood species. When used C. globosum (soft rot) as coloniser, increasing moisture content generally caused weight losses to be increased (specially in beech). However, when in wood blocks the moisture content was increased, more sporulations of C. globosum were also observed on wood samples.

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