Mold fungi development during the short-term wood-chips storage depending on the storage method

Wood chips can be stored in a variety of ways and the choice of method can affect their properties. Because mold fungi are common in landfills and in the case of advanced growth the wood material can be classified as low quality, the presented research was carried out to determine the impact of the method of wood chips short-term storage on the development of mold fungi. Chips stored in silo, on unpaved yard, paved yard with and without the roof were analyzed. The genera and species of fungi were identified, their growth was assessed with a visual method, and the concentrations of ergosterol, citric acid, and oxalic acid were determined. The research have shown that from the point of view of mold fungi development, the most advantageous is to store the chips in a silo and the least favorable on the unpaved yard. The effect of roofing of the paved yard probably would be more noticeable during the short-term storage.