Why Does Wood Rot?

Imagine you eat an apple. It is crunchy and firm when fresh but turns soft and brown if left out too long. Wood does the exact same thing! The reason is that tiny living things called fungi think wood is a giant buffet. They send out tiny threads like spider webs into the wood to drink its nutrients. When there is enough water, these hungry fungi eat the sweet parts of the tree until the wood becomes weak and crumbly. This process is called rotting.

Fungi are not plants or animals. They are their own special group. They release tiny chemicals that act like scissors to cut up the tough wood fibers. If you leave a wooden fence outside in the rain, water soaks into it. The fungi love this wet environment. They start digesting the wood from the inside out.

You can see rot by looking closely. The wood might look darker or feel spongy like a damp sponge. It might also smell earthy and mildewy. In some cases, you will see white fuzz growing on the surface. This is the fungal network working hard to feed itself and spread to other pieces of wood nearby.