Alarm in the national park: Invasive mushrooms threaten the mountain pine!

Alarm in the national park: Invasive mushrooms threaten the mountain pine!

Berchtesgaden, Deutschland - An alarming phenomenon shakes the idyllic nature of the Berchtesgaden National Park! The "brown stain disease" caused by an invasive mushroom from North America spreads rapidly and threatens the mountain pine pinees that thrive between 1,200 and 1,900 meters in the altitudes. These trees are not only survival artists under extreme conditions, but also crucial for the ecosystem. But now the first symptoms are shown: brown needle tips and the death of the trees. A research project has the task of examining this worrying development in more detail.

The dreaded mushroom, Lecanosticta Acicola, was first detected in the national park in 2022 and represents a growing risk. "These mushrooms mainly spread through water particles in the air and penetrate through the gap openings of the pine needles," explains the project manager Barbara de Araújo. The spread takes place particularly in warm and moist weather, which makes the situation even more critical. The mountain pine lines are not only nice to look at, they also stabilize the soil and the climate, which is important for many other plant species.

research and control

In order to understand the effects of brown stain disease on the ecosystem, the research team has set up 72 wooden boxes with seeds of various tree species in the national park. These experiments are intended to clarify how the mountain pines influence the forest dynamics in the high mountains. The first results are expected in two years. But time is urging! The Federal Research Center Forest in Austria already warns of a possible epidemic spread and demands stricter controls at airports to intercept illegally inserted pine plants.

The situation is additionally tightened by climate change. The warm and moist conditions favor the spread of the mushroom, which the researcher classifies as a serious problem. "However, a definitive evidence of this influence is still pending," said de Araújo. Nature in the Berchtesgadener Land is on the brink, and the coming years will be decisive!