Poria Incrassata, referred to as the "House Eating Fungus" by those familiar with it. Poria can devastate a structure in very little time, and it must be quickly and thoroughly removed. Unfortunately, Poria is typically misdiagnosed by many in our industry as common wood rot and thus not appropriately abated. If not completely removed, this insidious fungus will quickly return and once again wreak havoc on the structural integrity of your home.

Poria digests the cellulose component of wood as food. It turns the wood into a dark shade of brown and reduces its strength significantly. During the initial attack of Poria Incrassata, the wood is still strong enough to serve its purpose, but over time it becomes weak and completely useless.

Precision Environmental is licensed by the Structural Pest Control Board and the State Contractor License Board as General Contractors. Therefore, we are uniquely qualified to identify and eradicate this specific wood-destroying organism and bring your home back to its original glory.  We are considered the Poria Incrassata experts, so please call us for a free evaluation if you think you may have this fungus in your home.

"When Poria invade a house, it's almost always catastrophic," said Mississippi State University wood technology professor Terry Amburgey. "The fungus will infiltrate a foundation, wood or concrete, and pretty soon the entire house goes."

Poria has an appetite for common construction woods such as oak and pine and cedar, redwood, cypress, and juniper that are naturally decay-resistant. In addition to attacking most woods classed as naturally decay-resistant, laboratory tests show that Poria is resistant to many fungicides containing copper. The practical significance of this tolerance is uncertain, but no failures of wood treated with copper fungicides have been reported in buildings to date.

Control & Remediation:

Earlier control recommendations call for removing decayed wood and all sound wood within 2 feet of apparent visible growth on the assumption that Poria, once established, can rot wood with metabolic water as the sole source of moisture. One of the other major steps in control is the tracking and removal of the rhizomorphs "roots" that typically extend into the soil around a structure.  

Poria Incrassata is more sensitive to higher temperatures than most decaying fungi and is killed in moist wood at temperatures only moderately above "air-temperature maxima." This explains why Poria occurs in the more protected parts of the structure and not in wood exposed to full sun. In other words, Poria is extremely sensitive to drying. In naturally infected timber, it can survive only 32 days of air drying. In laboratory tests, all artificial infections were dead in 1 day at 10% RH (relative humidity), five days at 65%, and ten days at 90%. Sensitivity to drying, in conjunction with the need for conducted water, forms the basis for the presently recommended simplified control and remediation measures.

Is Poria incrassata toxic?

There hasn’t been enough research done on Poria Incrassata health consequences, nor has its potential to cause allergies been explored. A smell can be detected, but mostly when the fruiting body of the fungus is broken open. However, even if it is not particularly toxic, it is quite dangerous.

Why is Poria incrassata dangerous?

There is a host of reasons why poria is one of the most devastating wood-decaying fungi out there when homeowners are concerned. Poria is able to gobble up to 2 inches of wood a day. It moves very quickly and by the time you see it, it has already wreaked havoc – still, remediation is possible, especially in the early stages.

Not only does it attack wooden structures in a flash, but it also does so unnoticed and therefore, untreated. Since it lives in the soil and eats the structure from the inside, it can go unchecked for quite some time, usually until the decayed wood starts showing signs of damage.

Poria incrassata is able to eat away at wood that is typically immune to fungus and decay, such as redwood trees. It could be said that it is particularly fond of pines and coniferous trees. Unfortunately, California is in the red zone with regard to the number of incidences of poria damage, considering the fact that coniferous trees such as Douglas fir, white fir and southern yellow pine are most frequent in construction.

What poria leaves behind is a mushy, porous remnant of once-solid wood. The walls, floors and ceilings of a house ravaged by poria become unsafe and hazard-prone. There have been cases of households who had to put up an additional wall to keep the roof from caving in, since the original wall was ruined.