How to Burn Wood With Fungus

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Things You'll Need

  • Knife

  • Rag

  • Newspaper

  • Gasoline

  • Tinder

Never burn wood with fungus in your home.

Because wood is porous, it is prone to collecting moisture. Pair moist wood with a bit of time and you will end up with a pile of wood that is cloaked in fungus. The good news is that moldy, fungus-stricken wood is still burnable. The bad news is that you should reserve that wood for outdoor use only, per advice from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This will prevent any mold spores from entering the air inside your home.

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Step 1

Allow the wood to completely dry out in a location outside your home that is both dry and cool. This will prevent more fungus from growing and will dry out your wood so that it is burnable.

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Step 2

Scrape off any large fungus with a knife over a large piece of newspaper and discard any removed fungus. Also rub the wood with a dry rag to wipe away some of the spores. Throw away the newspaper.

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Step 3

Place the dry wood in a fire pit as far away from your home as possible. To create a fire pit, dig a hole in the ground six inches deep and at least 12 inches in diameter.

Step 4

Light the wood on fire. You can do this by applying gasoline and lighting it with a match or you can light newspaper/tinder and wait for the wood to catch fire.

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Step 5

Distance yourself from the fire, but watch it until all the moldy wood is burnt. When it is finished, pour a gallon of water over the wood to ensure the fire is out.

Warning

Close the windows in your home when burning the fungus-stricken wood outdoors.

Wear a safety mask and surgical gloves to protect yourself during the handling process.

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