Variation in mushroom frequency on course-woody debris in areas of different forest management techniques

Abstract

Different forest management techniques may have serious varying ecological consequences. Our focus was on the mushrooming bodies of fungus on course-woody debris in three differently managed areas of forest. This is an important aspect of the forest ecosystem as fungi are essential to the forest in decomposing organic matter in nutrient cycling and exchange processes. Our study took place in the Current River Conservation Area in Reynolds and Shannon Counties in Missouri. We sampled twenty sites each on three different forest management areas (even-aged treatment, uneven-aged treatment and no harvest) measuring the frequency that mushrooms occurred on differing sizes of course-woody debris. Analysis may show the effects of different management types on fungal growth.