Effects of Stand Thinning on Edible Ectomycorrhizal Fungi in the Pacific Northwest Sebastian Balogh FS 533.

Effects of Stand Thinning on Edible Ectomycorrhizal Fungi in the Pacific

Northwest

Sebastian Balogh

FS 533

Ectomycorrhizal fungi in the PNW

• Ectomycorrhizal: form a sheath around root tips, with hyphae growing inward.

• Important to ecology

• Important to local economy- golden and white chanterelles, hedgehog, American matsutake, truffles, Boletus species.

• Chanterelles: $3.6 million in 1992 in OR, WA,ID

• Douglas-fir is a common host, so silvicultural treatments are likely to affect associated fungi populations

• Removal of trees can have an impact for several reasons:– Reduction of host abundance– Light penetration– Rain infiltration and water supply– Compaction of soil by equipment

• Pilz et al. (2006)

– Effects of thinning on Chanterelle productivity in Oregon Cascades

– Two thinning intensities and a control

– Stands were about 50 years old, 250 tpa unthinned, 100-120 tpa after light thinning, and about 50 tpa after heavy thinning.

– Sampling of chanterelle fruiting bodies before thinning, successive years after thinning.

Effects on productivity only significant for a few years

Conclusions:• Significance/power of results?• Short-term impact

• co-management for edible ectomycorrhizal fungi productivity and other goals