Water storage is a widely used method of preventing biodeterioration in woo
d. To establish the nature of some of the changes that occur during water s
torage, logs of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra var maritima were maintain
ed under an experimental water sprinkler system for a year and sampled at 0
, 3, 6, and 12 months. Samples were analyzed for moisture content (MC) (per
centage of ovendry weight), soluble carbohydrates (colorimetric analysis),
and counts were made of the number of resident bacteria. Results indicated
that while MC increased largely as expected, soluble carbohydrates depleted
rapidly during storage, particularly at the log ends, and after 12 months
of storage, the amount in both pine species had reduced to c. 5 percent of
the original concentration. In contrast, bacterial numbers increased sharpl
y after 3 months of water storage and the presence of antagonistic bacteria
combined with low levels of soluble sugars may explain the patterns of fun
gal defacement previously observed on water-stored timber.