Hapalopilus croceus was spotted two years ago (in September 2013) in Forest District Strzałowo (Warmia-Mazury). The position of this species is located on a very old oak stump.

"At the moment the stump is already at a very advanced stage of decomposition and probably in a few years this position will cease to exist. Within 500 meters of the described position, despite the existence of favourable conditions, including dead and dying oak trees, there are no more Hapalopilus croceus mushrooms. A chance of saving Hapalopilus croceus in Forest District Strzałowo is infecting dead wood with mycelium" - explained Malinowska.

Foresters inspect the position every few months. This year they noticed three fruiting bodies on the same stump. "Unfortunately, only one of them was intact, the other two were completely or partially destroyed. The stump, on which this extremely rare fungus grows, is located in a prominent place, right next to a forest road. The mycelia could have been destroyed by a mushroom picker or enthusiast-collector, of which there are more and more in Poland" - noted the spokeswoman.

Foresters are planning to collect small pieces of wood with Hapalopilus croceus mycelium and infecting her dead oak stumps and logs in the forest district. Currently they are waiting for the approval of the Regional Directorate of Environmental Protection.

According to the forest district employees, the size of decaying wood fragments with Hapalopilus croceus mycelium collected for infection will be minimal, and will not have a negative impact on the entire fungus (mycelium and mushrooms). In addition, each mycelium regenerate easily, and the volume of the mycelium with inhabited wood of this particular individual can be estimated at more than 1 cubic meter.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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