Sensitivity of the Pick Test for Field Detection of Early Wood Decay

Although the “pick test” is commonly used to detect wood decay in the field, it has not been known how advanced decay must be before it can be detected by this means. Since much of wood’s strength is lost in very early stages of decay, high sensitivity of diagnostic tests is desirable. In this research, tests on a small number of samples of Douglas-fir, white fir, and ponderosa pine decayed by brown rotters Gloeophyllum trabeum or Poria placenta indicated that decay as early as 5 to 10 percent weight loss could be detected by the pick test.

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