**Appendix F**

Additional details about the growth data collected and removal of contaminated parts of the materials are discussed here. At the end of the growth process, each specimen was weighed and photographed, and its dimensions were measured. The contamination and fruiting bodies were removed throughout the drying process. In addition, pictures were taken before and after the removal of both fruiting bodies and contaminated material. Fruiting bodies and contamination were weighed as they were removed. Contaminants were seen growing on fruiting bodies. Since all specimens were kept in the same tent, keeping contaminated specimens would increase the risk of contamination of the non-contaminated specimens. However, as mycelial growth requires oxygen, mycelium growth was less abundant inside the specimens than on their surface. Therefore, cutting off contaminated parts exposed the interior of the specimens which contained substrate mixture with lower mycelial growth. This exposure promoted contaminant growth on drying panels. In this regard, the specimens were either left untouched, partly cut off, or fully disposed of, based on the amount of contamination.
