Efficacy of rotten hardwood

[Briareo]

I was exploring my property and found many fallen and rotten hardwood (birch) branches which had been colonized by white rot fungus.

Upon first impression it seemed as if the fungal fruits from the wood were Turkey Tail (Tramates Versicolor). But when seeking confirmation from reddit, it seems that the species is more likely to be Stereum Hirsutum. 

So my question is. Does the white rot fungus need to be one of the classic edible for human species, or if it is white rot, is that alone good enough?

 

[JKim]

No, just being white doesn't mean they are edible. People are so wrong about it.

It is a public misconception. People got their first impression of "white fungus is edible" from fermented fruit. Some of them often has white powder-like coating on outer layer, thinking an appearance of fungal activity (which actually isn't lol). So an answer to your question is NO. Don't eat it. It is very difficult, unless one is a specialist in fungus, to identify a mushroom species based on non-scientific purposed image.

 

[Briareo]

I have been studying fungus for many years and am quite familiar with the vernacular when it comes to humans. And for myself I wouldnt consume the fungal fruits.

I am curious though. Does that mean we should only use white rot fungus that are known to be safe to consume for humans. Or should I attempt to match the species of fungus to one that the specific beetle would prefer?