Can fungi fight fires? This Alberta town plans to find out

Two summers ago, Fox Creek, Alta., was evacuated for 19 days due to an approaching wildfire.

While the town of 1,900 people didn't burn, officials have since been trying to find ways to better protect the community from future fires.

One option includes using fungi. 

"It would be another line of defence," said Sheila Gilmour, mayor of the community about 250 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

This summer, researchers from Lac La Biche, Alta.-based Portage College will go into the the boreal forest surrounding Fox Creek to collect local fungi.

Spores from that fungi could later be used to inoculate wood in man-made slash piles.

Forests are thinned to remove wood biomass so there is less material to burn during a wildfire. Wood that has been removed can be stored in massive slash piles, which can be fire risks themselves. 

Fungi could be used to break down the wood faster, returning them to soil, said Michael Schulz, research chair in environment and sustainability in the boreal forest at Portage College. 

Boulder Mushrooms, a company based in Colorado, already uses fungi as a way to help prevent forest fires by turning slash piles into wood chips, inoculating them with mushroom spores. 

Radio Active7:47Fighting fire, with mushrooms

We've been in wildfire season for a couple of weeks now. One community north of Edmonton is trying something a little bit different this year to help protect the town. Fox Creek plans to fight fires using mushrooms. Sheila Gilmour is the town's mayor. 

"We're building a more fire-resilient landscape," said Zach Hedstrom, founder of Boulder Mushrooms.  

While wood chips can take 20 years to decompose, the process can drastically speed up if the chips are inoculated with with fungi — taking less than two years to break down, Hedstrom said.

"I think we really ought to look toward nature to try and develop novel solutions," he said. 

Schulz explained that inoculating wood with fungi to speed up decomposition can be compared to the way tree-planting after logging can help a forest regenerate more quickly.

"These fungi don't put as much energy into dispersing, but would do a better job if they were helped along to get in there," he said.

Fungi also help to retain moisture in wood, making it harder to burn. 

"We often see double or triple the water content stored within inoculated wood chips," said Schulz.   

"It's like a biological sponge." 

The Town of Fox Creek is not only relying on fungi to protect the town from fires.

It is also building firebreaks, conducting controlled burns, thinning forests and educating the public. 

"We have weekly campaigns on things you can do to help prepare for fires when you are at home or out in nature," said Gilmour.