Can fungi fight fires? This Alberta town plans to find out

Liam Harrap · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

One enactment includes utilizing fungi. 

"It would beryllium different enactment of defence," said Sheila Gilmour, politician of the assemblage astir 250 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

This summer, researchers from Lac La Biche, Alta.-based Portage College volition spell into the the boreal wood surrounding Fox Creek to cod section fungi.

Spores from that fungi could aboriginal beryllium utilized to inoculate wood successful man-made slash piles.

Forests are thinned to region wood biomass truthful determination is little worldly to pain during a wildfire. Wood that has been removed tin beryllium stored successful monolithic slash piles, which tin beryllium occurrence risks themselves. 

Fungi could beryllium utilized to interruption down the wood faster, returning them to soil, said Michael Schulz, probe seat successful situation and sustainability successful the boreal wood astatine Portage College. 

Boulder Mushrooms, a institution based successful Colorado, already uses fungi arsenic a mode to assistance forestall wood fires by turning slash piles into wood chips, inoculating them with mushroom spores. 

"We're gathering a much fire-resilient landscape," said Zach Hedstrom, laminitis of Boulder Mushrooms.  

While wood chips tin instrumentality 20 years to decompose, the process tin drastically velocity up if the chips are inoculated with with fungi — taking little than 2 years to interruption down, Hedstrom said.

"I deliberation we truly ought to look toward quality to effort and make caller solutions," helium said. 

Schulz explained that inoculating wood with fungi to velocity up decomposition can beryllium compared to the mode tree-planting aft logging tin assistance a wood regenerate much quickly.

"These fungi don't enactment arsenic overmuch vigor into dispersing, but would bash a amended occupation if they were helped on to get successful there," helium said.

Fungi besides help to clasp moisture successful wood, making it harder to burn. 

"We often spot treble oregon triple the h2o contented stored wrong inoculated wood chips," said Schulz.   

"It's similar a biologic sponge." 

The Town of Fox Creek is not lone relying connected fungi to support the municipality from fires.

It is besides gathering firebreaks, conducting controlled burns, thinning forests and educating the public. 

"We person play campaigns connected things you tin bash to assistance hole for fires erstwhile you are astatine location oregon retired successful nature," said Gilmour.