Coniophora Sp.

Day 8: I am hesitant to put an identification on this specimen beyond "Coniophora sp." due to the fact that two very similar species of wet-rot (C. puteana and C. arida) occur in the Pacific Northwest. C. puteana can be found on both hardwood and conifer wood while C. arida (which I believe this to be) grows only on that of conifers. Suffice to say that it is a resupinate fungus, i.e., one whose pores are on the outward side. The growth is tightly appressed to the substrate...big words there...attached firmly to its chosen host and impossible to lift away without a knife. I did not have my specimen kit with me on this hike, so did not bring home a sample. While wet-rots can be damaging to wooden structures and are not something you'd want to find on the pillars holding up your house, they are an important decomposer in forest ecology. Not only do they assist in breaking down forest debris, they provide food sources for insects and even small mammals.