rot

But when trees die, the wood rots and the stored carbon dioxide is released back into the air.

And in space, wood is tougher than on Earth, since there’s no water to make it rot or oxygen that would allow it to burn.

“And I think that was the beginning of the rot, which we are paying a price for till today.”

The pain is worst in her thigh, where she had a metal rod inserted after cancer rotted her femur.

"Wood is more durable in space than on Earth because there's no water or oxygen that would rot or inflame it," Kyoto University forest science professor Koji Murata told Reuters news agency.