"Populus tremuloides serves as a highly valued pulp species for the forest industry. Yet its susceptibility to disease, particularly to decay, hinders its use more widely as a lumber species. Trametes pubescens, chosen for its ruderal qualities, broad host and geographic range, is a species of fungus that affects dead hardwoods. Roadside lumber and or timber at a mill site, is all susceptible to colonization by this fungus. To further our knowledge of decay fungi and their effect on the structural qualities of aspen wood, T. pubescens was selected for further study. Sixteen replicates of ten Populus tremuloides wood samples were aseptically inoculated with mycelium of Trametes pubescens. Bi-weekly, two replicates were removed, dried, weighed and tested for modulus of elasticity (MOE) modulus of rupture (MOR) and density."-- from abstract.