Mushrooms could be an answer to wildfire-caused mudslides and flash flooding in Arizona.
Arizona State University researcher Emmanuel Salifu is studying if mycelium, or the roots of mushrooms, could quickly restore damaged soils within wildfire burn scars.
Wildfires damage soil health by removing the protective outer layer that allows moisture to soak in and stay there, rather than running off or evaporating.
Salifu found that mushroom fungus can grow on top of burn scars in a matter of days, working to restore that necessary barrier.
“With fungal mycelium, the soil’s water-holding capacity is increased, which means it can store a lot more water in the ground, and for a longer time,” Salifu said.
The work could save lives. The 180,000-acre burn scar from the 2021 Telegraph Fire, for example, could not hold last autumn’s heavy rainfall.
Runoff in the mountains traveled all the way to Miami and Globe, resulting in a deadly flash flood.
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