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Mycorrhizal Networks

microscopic view of fungal hyphae

Last month we began the discussion of Mycorrhizal Networks and how important they are to the trees in a forest, if you missed it, check out our Mother Tree post.

Mycorrhizal Networks (MN) are fungal networks that connect at least two plants. By colonizing and connecting the roots of the host plant with the surrounding soil, they facilitate the transfer of minerals, water, nutrients, carbon, and other mutually symbiotic benefits. To understand HOW fungi support trees, it is important to understand what they actually are.

Mushroom -vs- Mycelium

The Kingdom of Fungi includes many organisms including mushrooms, yeasts, molds, morels, and truffles. All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms, though they ALL play a key role as the primary decomposers of organic matter. If you want to take a beautiful and educational dive into the world of Fungi, check out the documentary Fantastic Fungi, it is absolutely … well, fantastic.

fungus structure diagram_mycelium, hyphae and sporocarp

With the exception of yeasts, fungi are made up of thread-like tubular cells called hyphae that branch out as they grow. A mass of Hyphae is what creates the body of a fungi, which is called a Mycelium, or plural-Mycelia. What we casually consider “mushrooms” (the stuff we eat) is actually the Sporocarp, or the fruiting body of the fungi, which only grows during reproduction to produce spores- same as flowers do with pollen and trees with seeds and nuts.

mass of hyphae fruiting with sporocarps

Life Underground

Most of fungal life is experienced unseen and underground as mycelia (OR inside a tree, which we will dive into this summer when we explore Spalting).

The term Mycorrhizal means “the symbiotic association of the mycelium of a fungus with the roots of a seed plant.”

view of mycelium on plant roots in soil

The basic function of mycorrhizal fungi is that they aid a tree’s roots in absorbing water and mineral nutrients from the surrounding soil- specifically phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, and copper. In exchange, fungi recieve sugars and fats, which they feed upon. Additional evidence suggests benefits that include “stress resistance and tolerance,” ”promoting long-term soil fertility” and behaviors that imitate “underground socialism.”

Over the last few decades, scientists are gaining a deeper understanding of how vital this relationship is- not only to the health, diversity, and survival of trees in a forest- but to sustainable agriculture. As the fields of Mycology and Agroforestry have grown however, there seems to be more questions than answers on the adaptive symbiotic relationships between fungi and plants. It is truly exciting to see where the research will take us.

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention. Feel free to share the info and spread the love of tree science and education. If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, we’d love to hear from you!

References:

Simard, S. W., Beiler, K. J., Bingham, M. A., Deslippe, J. R., Philip, L. J., & Teste, F. P. (2012). Mycorrhizal networks: mechanisms, ecology and modelling. Fungal Biology Reviews, 26(1), 39-60.

Hotz, E. C., Bradshaw, A. J., Elliott, C., Carlson, K., Dentinger, B. T., & Naleway, S. E. (2023). Effect of agar concentration on structure and physiology of fungal hyphal systems. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 24, 7614-7623.

Jansa, J., Bukovská, P., & Gryndler, M. (2013). Mycorrhizal hyphae as ecological niche for highly specialized hypersymbionts–or just soil free-riders?. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4, 50022.

Figueiredo AF, Boy J, Guggenberger G. 2021 Common Mycorrhizae Network: A Review of the Theories and Mechanisms Behind Underground Interactions. Frontiers in Fungal Biology 0, 48. 

Chen M, Arato M, Borghi L, Nouri E, Reinhardt D. Beneficial Services of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi – From Ecology to Application. Front Plant Sci. 2018 Sep 4;9:1270. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01270. PMID: 30233616; PMCID: PMC6132195.

“Fungi Structure.” 2021. March 6, 2021. https://bio.libretexts.org/@go/page/6626.

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Do Mother Trees Mother?

large mother tree in a forest

“Mother trees are the biggest, oldest trees in the forest.
They are the glue that holds the forest together. ” 

Dr. Suzanne Simard (Finding the Mother Tree)

Over the last decade, research has shed light on the ability of trees in a forest to communicate and share resources. The notion of “intelligence” amongst the stoic, towering beasts of the plant world has ignited like wildfire within popular culture. Central to the buzz are two New York Times best selling books, Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard and The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben.

Hub trees, also known as Mother Trees, are said to connect hundreds of younger trees in a forest via underground fungal networks, sharing nutrients, carbon, nitrogen, and aiding in the survival of saplings and seedlings. This network of connections is believed to create community resilience and is often referred to as the “wood wide web.”

Author and forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard began her fieldwork in the 1980s after witnessing the effects of clear-cut logging in British Columbia. Her research aims to understand these connections to strengthen forest renewal practices as the climate changes. Simard argues that Mother Trees recognize their kin and support ‘communication and nutrient exchange amongst trees.’ Spanning three decades, her work has landed her as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2024. You can learn more by picking up her book, watching her Ted Talk and visiting The Mother Tree Project.

Are Trees Conscious or Intelligent?

big hub tree in a forest

Lately, the notion that trees possess social lives or even ‘consciousness’ has sparked considerable controversy. With childhood favorites like Shel Silverstein’s ‘The Giving Tree‘ and box office hits like ‘AVATAR,’ the romantic idealization of nurturing trees has gained immense popularity.

While some research provides support for these claims, a recent article in The Guardian explores how ‘the cultural fixation on sentient trees’ has outpaced scientific evidence. This trend risks overshadowing and delegitimizing important research in the field. (We HIGHLY recommend you reading it, it is an amazing piece of journalism.)

Mycorrhizal Networks

What scientists across the board do agree on is the existence of Mycorrhizal Networks, a complex web of fungal networks that colonize a tree’s roots, connecting them to nutrients and other roots beneath the forest floor. Studies argue that“increasing our understanding of the structure and function of MNs in ecosystems may lead to a deeper understanding of ecological stability and evolution, and thus provide new theoretical approaches to improve conservation practices for the management of the Earth’s ecosystems.” 

As our readers know by now, we are a bit obsessive about the relationship between trees and fungus. We will talk more about these fascinating Mycorrhizal Networks in next months issue.

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention. Feel free to share the info and spread the love of tree science and education. If you have any comments or suggestions for future topics, we’d love to hear from you!

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Earth Day Everyday

protesters gathering for earth day 1970

Yesterday marked the global celebration of Earth Day. Over 193 countries and more than 1 billion people participated in events across the planet. Earth Day isn’t just a day; it is an environmental movement organized by the Earth Day Network (EDN) with a mission to educate and mobilize civil society to call for greater protections for our planet.

The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd, 1970. At the time, it was the largest organized demonstration in American history, with 20 million people across the United States gathering to protest against environmental ignorance. The history of the environmental movement is quite remarkable, and you can read more about the events that led it to grow into the global campaign that it is today on PBS’s American Experience.

“Planet vs. Plastics” is the theme for 2024, with a commitment to “demanding a 60% reduction in the production of plastics by 2040 and an ultimate goal of building a plastic-free future for generations to come.”

Check out the action toolkit released by EARTHDAY.org to see how you can do your part.

Our Commitment

Knotty Moose Studio has long been committed to earth stewardship and doing what we can to support and further the environmental movement. We educate our community about tree science, source sustainable hardwoods and fallen trees, and work with clients to design custom solutions and home goods with natural materials that are built to last and evolve with their needs.

Before I began the studio and was still a young woodworking apprentice in my 20s, I spent my weeks traveling the backroads of the American landscape to photograph the environmental consequences of human presence. My documentary work focused on a concept called the ‘Hand of Man,’ in which manmade machines, essentially extensions of ourselves, are used to carve and shape the earth to fit our needs.

It was during my time in remote wilderness areas of Alaska and the Northwest Territories that I became passionate about responsible industrial practices and human stewardship of the resources we depend upon.

Today, that passion and concern for the environment still lies in the heart of our woodworking studio. We LOVE trees. They are a resource we depend on and have a responsibility to care for and protect. I encourage you to think about the small changes you can make to join and support this movement, making Earth Day every day!

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention.

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Science of Sap & Syrup

Early spring is a busy time for maple syrup farmers, and although Maple trees may appear dormant with their leafless branches, there’s a lot going on behind the bark of their towering trunks. Let’s tap in to the science behind tree sap, the coveted ingredient behind maple syrup.

Sourcing Sap

Any species of Maple tree can be used to make syrup (Red, Black, Silver) but Sugar Maples (Acer Saccharum) are the primary source due to higher ratios of sap to sugar. On average, about 40 gallons of Sugar Maple tree sap yields 1 gallon of syrup. Different classes or “grades” of syrup are determined by the quality of the sap harvested.

“The Darker the Syrup, the Stronger the Maple Flavor”

‘Grade’ is the standard Maple Syrup ranking system used across all of North America. It consists of two things: color and flavor, and the color of a syrup determines its flavor.

“Grade A” has four color and flavor classes:

  1. Golden—lightest color, delicate and subtle flavor with hints of vanilla. Sourced from first sap flows of the sugaring season.
  2. Amber—light amber color and rich, full bodied maple taste. Typical “classic” maple syrup
  3. Dark—dark amber color, robust and intense flavor
  4. Very Dark—darkest color, strong and very intense flavor. Best for cooking and flavoring other foods.

(Note: Any syrup that fails to meet Grade A standards is classified as “Processing Grade” or “Substandard”.)

Typically, as the season progresses and temperatures rise, syrup color darkens due to decreased sugar concentration and microbial activity. However, numerous complex factors affect the color and flavor development of syrup, including frigid nights, sap handling and processing, and sap composition—the types of sugars and organic substances present in the sap.

Once temperatures consistently remain above freezing and trees begin to bud, the chemistry of the sap changes, marking the end of the maple syrup season.

What is Sap? 

Sap is the watery fluid in plants that carries nutrients and sugars, traveling through tube-like “vascular bundles” consisting of Xylem and Phloem tissue. Let’s revisit middle school science:

Xylem tissue transports and stores water and nutrients from the roots to the leaves. Phloem tissue transports sugars, proteins, and organic molecules from the leaves to the rest of the plant.

(Note: As a tree grows, old xylem tissue becomes what we know as the heartwood of a tree. We will discuss this in a later issue.)

Flow of sap in a tree differs when leaves are present and absent.

In the summer, chlorophyll rich leaves convert sunlight into sugar and sap flows freely throughout a tree via phloem tissues.

In the winter, when trees are dormant, things get more interesting and this is what makes maple syrup farming pretty neat.

Medullary Rays

While xylem and phloem run vertically through a tree, medullary rays, or “wood rays,” are tissues made of parenchyma cells that run perpendicular to the growth rings of a tree. They are essential to tree functioning and survival, connecting vascular tissue from the center of the tree to the bark.

All trees have medullary rays, but they are most prominent in white and red oak when it is quartersawn.

Maple trees store carbohydrates in medullary ray cells as starch. Sugars are typically only found in the phloem tissues of plants; however, during winter, starch is converted into sugars and released into xylem ray tissue.

The sap tapped for maple syrup comes from these xylem rays, and it is these ribbon-like rays that dictate the sugar content of maple sap.

Trees with more ray cells are able to store more sugar within the tree. In the dormant winter months, this means that the sap will be sweeter. 

Two things affect the quantity of ray cells within a tree: genetics and increased growth rate. The faster a tree grows, the more rays cells it will have, meaning the more sugar it can store, and the sweeter sap will be. Higher concentrations of sugar in the sap mean lighter color syrup. Every step of the process depends on the health and growth of the tree, which is why Maple syrup farmers are tree stewards through and through. Many of your local sugarbush farms are family owned, operated, and past down through the generations. Think about supporting them when you buy maple syrup, so you can be part of the stewardship cycle!

Cheers,

Viktoria

Thank you for reading! We appreciate your time and attention.

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From the Ground Up

We figured out a plan for sealing up the back wall along the foundation.  My dad has a knack for figuring out cost effective building solutions; we are Polish immigrants so being resourceful with limited materials and money is sort of our skill set. It would be too expensive to remove and replace the rotten T1-11, even if we did it just along the lower section- 4 ft x 8 ft sheets run anywhere between $25-$40 depending on quality.   We wanted to secure the baseline perimeter with a material that would protect against moisture, rodents and insects but not break my bank. We decided to use Hardi board siding panels, aluminum flashing, and silicone caulk.

Hardie board, developed by James Hardie in the 1980s, is a siding material composed of cement fibers, sand, water, and cellulose wood fibers. It is extremely durable and does not retain moisture so it does not rot or warp.  We picked up 12ft long siding panels for $9.08 a piece and 10ft preformed strips of aluminum flashing for $2.88 a piece at Lowes. Honestly, I absolutely hate Lowes and prefer Home Depot but my dad gave me a gift card and there we went.   

To reinforce the base of the walls from the inside, we repurposed the planks of T1-11 that were cut out for the windows and nailed them in.  Before I insulate the walls, I’ll seal the edges with spray foam to make sure everything is nice and tight.

I decided to wrap the Hardi board around the entire garage to protect against any future damage.  Eventually, I will need to dig out all the soil away from the exterior walls and grade it to direct water away from the building, but for now this will temporarily solve my problems and keep the structure secure. There’s a lot to do to get the shop running on the inside and I only have time to shut the shop down for a month before I need to get orders into production, but I’m pretty happy about the progress thus far. Here’s the current before and after…