[1] Internal decayed wood of freshly cut aspens is spongy, yellow/white colored, surrounded by black zones of discoloration, and contains a distinct wintergreen smell.
Aspen wood is white, malleable but strong, and heat-tolerant and therefore has many commercial uses including matches, packing paper, lumber, plywood, pulp, and animal beds.
Phellinus tremulae can maintain a resting state for 20 years, so older trees have a greater chance of being infected.
Sporulation occurs in late winter, early spring, and continues with moist weather in the summer.
Spores germinate sexually in fresh wounds only (<1 week old) and conks are produced by the fungus body after 5 years of infection.
[4] Maintaining healthy stands and preventing mechanical and fire damage reduces the likelihood of disease.
It is also recommended that partial cutting to thin and remove defective trees not be used as a management technique because residual stands often deteriorate within 5 years.
In a study published in the Canadian Journal of Botany the occurrence of black galls on aspen trees produced by Phoma etheridgei resulted in a significant decrease or absence of infection by Phellinus tremulae.
Some of these uses include matches, building material where low flammability is key, packing paper, plywood, and animal bedding due to lack of irritant phenols in the wood.
Phellinus tremulae creates decay and discoloration and therefore results in enormous amounts of waste at the mill.
In order to combat these increased shipping costs, 15% more drying time is required to reduce the moisture content.
In fact, an estimated 80% of standing dead aspen biomass will fall within ten years of being infected and this resultant increase in standing, dead tree biomass represents a significant potential source of carbon emissions to the atmosphere.
[15] On the other hand, Phellinus tremulae provides an important habitat for birds and mammals such as woodpeckers, bats, flying and red squirrels, red-naped sapsuckers, boreal owls, and buffleheads.
For example, bats rely on the tree cavities formed by heart rot for communal maternity roosting.
The older trees with more heart rot may contribute to a stable, warmer microclimate perfect for fetal development and juvenile growth.
[16] Additionally, according to a study carried out by the USDA, Phellinus tremulae plays a key role in breeding requirements for the red-naped sapsuckers and buffleheads, nest site selection for woodpeckers, and cavities for habitat for squirrels and owls.