In article , Peter Taylor
writes

I'm not sure this is true. I believe it can survive for hundreds of years in a
dry state.

Most fungi can survive as spores for considerable periods of time. The
dry rot spores are everywhere in the atmosphere, so there is no way to
eradicated them. They are there for a purpose - to break down dead wood,
mainly in forest-floor conditions. The unfortunate thing is that people
tend to try and recreate these conditions in their homes by increasing
the humidity and reducing the ventilation, urged on my government
"Energy Efficiency" programmes.

In practice, of course, it is very hard to cut off every source of dampness,
especially in old buildings. And nobody whose livelihood depends on advising
clients or carrying out a dry rot eradication service is going to be able to say
"OK, now I've cut off all the moisture it needs no further treatment."

However a number of the better informed consultants are now saying "The
ventilation is now sufficient to prevent future growth".

Also current research on treating by ventilation is inconclusive in my view -
certainly not conclusive enough to be able to recommend it to clients. Good
ventilation stunts its growth, but it then tries to "escape" from the fresh air
and move to less ventilated places. It can even spread in places that can't be
ventilated, like behind plaster, and I've heard of cases of it getting through
solid brickwork.

Indeed in our house it had grown between the plaster and the brickwork,
but once the wall had been dried out the dry-rot died.

I have also seen if cross a twenty foot (enclosed) pipe bridge, carrying
its own water supply, but once the source of moisture was removed and
the ventilation improved it withered and died.

J.
--
John Rouse