Alarm in the national park: Invasive mushroom threatens the mountain pines!

Alarm in the national park: Invasive mushroom threatens the mountain pines!

Berchtesgaden, Deutschland - alarming situation in the Berchtesgaden National Park! A dangerous invasive mushroom that causes the dreaded “brown stain disease” spreads rapidly. This insidious pathogen, Lecanosticta Acicola, made the leap from North and Central America to Bavaria and threatens the sensitive mountain pines at altitudes between 1,200 and 1,900 meters. Where life thrives under rough conditions, everything could soon die!

The consequences of this disease are catastrophic: sick mountain pines leave a devastated soil and endanger the ecosystem. The Berchtesgaden National Park, a popular destination for tourists and nature lovers, could soon lose its green splendor. The project manager Barbara de Araújo leads a research project that aims to examine the effects on forest rejuvenation and the microclimate. But time is urging! "We urgently need results," said de Araújo.

The spread of the mushroom and its dangers

This invasive mushroom is spread over fine water droplets in the air that penetrate through the folding openings of the pine needles. Warm, moist weather could continue to favor the spread, warn experts. The fungus has spread in Germany since 1994 and left its destructive evidence in the higher altitudes.

In order to keep the situation under control, the Federal Research Center Forest in Austria calls for sharper controls at airports. It is important to catch illegally brought pine plants before they endanger the fragile ecosystem in Bavaria. Climate change could also pave the path of the mushroom into the mountains, but also destabilizes the heat source that the mountain pine once offered. It is only to be hoped that research will be at work quickly before the mountain pines no longer represent the fairy tales of the Alps!