Fungus Prevention in the Processing Industry
The world is known to have around 120.35 million ha of tropical forests, the second largest in the world which covers about ten percent of the world's tropical forests. The world is also known as a biodiversity country. The world has no less than 4000 of the largest types of wood in the entire forest, but of that number no more than 200 types of wood have been known to be commercially traded so far.
At present it is felt by the world community in general that the price of wood is increasingly expensive. An increase in the price of wood or processed wood products may be felt as a natural reason because of the many factors involved that support the rising prices of these products.
Although this is acceptable for physicochemical properties and diversity of degrading fungi, it is also understandable that wood supply is indeed declining because commercial timber species are producing increasingly depleted natural forests and cannot yet be replaced completely with plantation forest production forests. As a result, the supply of wood will change from commercial types to non-commercial types or unknown types of wood (Lesser know species) production of natural forests or secondary forests as well as the type of wood planted by the people as community forest products.
On the other hand the reality shows that 80 - 85% of the world's wood has low durability (class III - IV). In other words, most of these types of wood are susceptible to various types of wood-damaging organisms.
This fact is also supported by the geogarfic location of the World at the equator with its tropical climate that allows the presence of various types of wood-damaging organisms such as termites, dry wood powder, weathered fungi. Thus it can be understood why the threat of wood damage in the World is so great.
There is no reason to be able to avoid the decline of wood in a building where the causes can be overcome or controlled. The wood used outside the roof is in direct contact with the ground or seawater will eventually rot or be attacked by marine drills or insects. But its useful life can be greatly extended with proper treatment.
To avoid setbacks in buildings or to extend the life of wood materials used under harsh conditions, those who use wood products must understand the conditions that can develop setbacks and the precautions to be taken.
Biological agents are the main cause of wood damage, as a result of fungi that cause stains, softening and spoilage; marine borers, especially sea worms and small sea shells; insects including termites, wood ants; various wood boring beetles; and bekteri which causes weathering on wood which if long submerged by water.
This fungus comes from the Basidiomycetes class, has the ability to overhaul cellulose and lignin, which are the main components of wood cell walls, so that the strength of wood is reduced. Some types of mushrooms only remodel cellulose, so the color of the wood turns brown and is called brown rot.
Other types remodel cellulose and lignin, so that the color of the wood becomes pale white and is called white rot. The mechanical properties of wood such as firmness, flexural firmness, compressive firmness, hardness and elasticity will be reduced if attacked by wood rot fungi. In general, brown rot mushrooms reduce wood strength faster than white rot.
In the world the group of wood destroying insects is the main. Losses due to termite attacks are not small, small animals that are classified into social insects, are able to destroy large buildings and cause large losses as well (Tambunan and Nandika, 1989). Hunt and Garrat (1988) state that these wood-damaging organisms attack a wide variety of wooden buildings, such as poles, support poles, mining reinforcement poles, oil-drilling towers, wooden bridges.
Because wood and plants contain high cellulose, both plants are always the main prey for termites (Nicholas, 1987). Tambunan and Nandika (1989) state that parts of woody plants that have decayed and ground soils are interesting foods for wood destroying organisms. Hunt and Garrat (1986) stated that in a state of forced skin or plastic can also be attacked by this insect. Tambunan and Nandika (1989) state that organisms are the main inhabitants of forested areas, which obtain most of their food from fallen trees and branches, and dead stumps and roots. Haygreen and BoVvyer (1993) stated that termites use wood from the ground or protective tunnels they construct as a means of reaching wood.