Wildfires don’t just scorch landscapes; they leave behind an invisible crisis—contaminated soil stripped of nutrients and laced with toxins that threaten ecosystems for years to come. As California communities grapple with recovery, an unexpected ally could emerge from the forest floor: fungi. Through a fascinating process called mycoremediation, certain mushrooms have the ability to break down pollutants and restore soil health, offering a nature-driven solution to one of wildfire’s most lasting impacts.
At the forefront of this groundbreaking work is CoRenewal, a nonprofit dedicated to ecological restoration and environmental justice. Originally tackling oil contamination in Ecuador, the organization now focuses on fire-affected landscapes across the West, harnessing the power of fungi to remediate petroleum-laced and heavy-metal-laden soils. Their work suggests that mushrooms might just be the missing piece in the fight to heal the land. Could a humble fungus be the future of post-wildfire recovery? Science—and nature—seem to think so.
Mycoremediation for Wildfire Recovery
Courtesy of CoRenewal
As wildfires across the West grow in frequency and intensity, the long-term damage to soil health has become impossible to ignore. CoRenewal saw an opportunity to turn to one of nature’s most overlooked problem-solvers—fungi. “We were witnessing the expansion of wildfire frequency and severity and thought fungi might be able to aid in restoration,” explains the CoRenewal team. “Fungi—like mycorrhizal fungi—support plant performance and establishment, and they’ve also been shown to reduce soil toxicity. We thought they could help with the succession of post-wildfire ecosystems, as well as ecosystem resilience.”
The team’s belief in fungi’s restorative potential is fueled by fungi’s sheer adaptability. “Fungi are so diverse, they have so many strategies for ‘making a living’ in natural systems,” they share. “We can apply these strategies to mitigate waste streams and restore components of degraded environments, or even retrofit or redesign the built environment to leverage or mimic their strategies in a multitude of ways.” But perhaps the most fascinating aspect of fungi is their hidden impact. “Fungi are covert operatives in ecosystems—they aren’t blatantly doing anything to the naked eye. But when we use advanced tools, tracers, and imaging, we can see what a profound effect many fungi have on providing ecosystem services.”
How Fungi Might Hold the Cure
Courtesy of CoRenewal
When wildfires tear through a landscape, the visible destruction is only part of the story. Beneath the surface, the soil is left laced with harmful compounds—many of which pose long-term risks to ecosystems and human health. “There’s polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, PFAS, dioxins, and other compounds formed when components of the built environment combust,” explains CoRenewal. “These toxins can seep into the soil and waterways, biomagnify in living organisms, and cause irritation or disease.” Finding sustainable ways to remediate these pollutants is crucial to ensuring that fire-affected landscapes can fully recover.
Early mycoremediation efforts have already shown promise in bringing life back to damaged areas. “We added spores of mycorrhizal fungi and native soil to a post-fire system and found that it increased the wildflowers and the pollinators visiting the site,” CoRenewal shares. “At another location, we found that adding complex microbial inocula to the soil reduced the concentration of benzene-A-pyrene, a recalcitrant PAH that is a chemical of concern for the U.S. EPA.” But despite fungi’s potential, implementing these projects isn’t always easy. “It’s challenging to do this work on public land because of regulations unless you collaborate with land managers. The geographic scope of our studies adds another layer of difficulty—like working in Oregon while being based in California. Testing soil samples is also extremely expensive and complex.” Even securing long-term support presents hurdles. “There’s lots of enthusiasm right after a fire to do restoration, but as time goes by, enthusiasm wanes, and there’s less support—both financially and from people.”
The Future of Fungi-Based Fire Recovery
Courtesy of CoRenewal
The potential for mycoremediation to play a role in large-scale wildfire recovery is growing, but there’s still work to be done. “Currently, we are working on mesocosm experiments, and we need to show that the work can be scaled up,” CoRenewal explains. One major hurdle? The labor-intensive nature of current methods. “Using machines instead of human labor would make it more feasible to scale up,” they note. Government funding could also be a game-changer. “We received a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Society that helped us start the FENiXS project (Fire Ecology Network in X-(Cross)-Site Study), but it wasn’t enough for all the analysis we wanted to do.”
But while large-scale implementation is still in development, smaller-scale solutions may be within reach for homeowners in fire-prone areas. “Yes, this is feasible,” CoRenewal confirms, signaling hope for individual property owners looking to integrate fungi into their fire recovery strategies.
Get Involved
Courtesy of CoRenewal
For those eager to support wildfire recovery and ecological restoration, CoRenewal offers several ways to contribute. Donations can be made directly at CoRenewal’s website, and they’ve also developed microbial EMBER (Ecological Management of Belowground Ecosystem Restoration) kits that can be sent to interested participants. Additionally, their web-based tool can be used to book free consultations and find personalized recommendations if you are looking to take action.
Community education is another key piece of the puzzle. “There are both benefits and challenges to raising awareness about mycoremediation,” CoRenewal notes. “In the worst case, motivated people might use non-native fungi or go into areas without proper protective gear, exposing themselves to risks. But with more community education, we can share what we’ve learned, listen to what people think is most important, and evolve our approach together.” They point to a recent consultation with a user of their web-based tool as an encouraging sign. “It gives me faith that there are informed community members gaining traction to explore these techniques in a data-driven, evidence-based way.”
As research continues, one thing is clear: Fungi are proving to be powerful allies in the fight for ecological resilience. With continued support, mycoremediation could become a critical tool for restoring fire-ravaged landscapes across the West.
