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

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

Berchtesgaden, Deutschland - An alarming phenomenon threatens the Berchtesgaden National Park! The "brown stain disease" caused by an invasive fungus from North and Central America spreads out rapidly and endangers the mountain pines that thrive between 1,200 and 1,900 meters at the altitudes. These trees are not only survival artists in rough conditions, but also crucial for the ecosystem by stabilizing the soil and enabling other plants. But the discovery of the mushroom, which was first documented in 2022, throws dark shadows on the future of this unique landscape.

The dangerous fungus and its spread

The main suspect? Lecanosticta Acicola, a mushroom that spreads through water particles in the air and penetrates through the folding openings of the pine needles. This infection occurs particularly in warm and damp weather, which favors the spread of the mushroom. The Federal Research Center Forest in Austria is already alarm and demands stricter controls at airports to stop illegally introduced pine plants. The risk of epidemic spread of tree disease is enormous!

A research team under the direction of Barbara de Araújo is now examining the far -reaching consequences of this threat. They have placed 72 wooden boxes with seeds of different tree species in the national park to find out how the mountain pine pinees influence the forest dynamics in the high mountains. The first results are expected in two years, but the urgency of the situation is unmistakable. Climate change could also play a role in the spread of the mushroom by further favoring the conditions for the needle tan. Time is pushing and nature is on the brink!