As foresters we spend a great deal of time looking up, to evaluate forest composition, structure, and growth. The story below ground is equally interesting, with complex interactions between soils, nutrients, water, roots, and a host of other flora and fauna. As they say in Vegas, “what happens below ground, stays below ground!” Everything here is more difficult to study. This is particularly true regarding a class of organisms critical to trees: mycorrhizal fungi. We know that mycorrhizal fungi play an important role in allowing trees to uptake more nutrients and water. But does it go further than that? There have been a huge number of popular media stories talking about this subject, but what is the current state of the science? And what do foresters need to know about how these fungi impact tree growth, or how we impact mycorrhizal fungi through management? Join us on this episode as we explore this subject with Justine Karst, Associate Professor and mycologist with the University of Alberta, and Marty Kranabetter, Regional Soil Scientist with the British Columbia Ministry of Forests.
