A new project is experimenting with a special mix of mushroom spores to help saplings better survive in hostile conditions.
A UK group is planting 20,000 saplings in Scotland with special root fungi, or mycorrhizae, added to their roots in the hopes it will aid survival.
Fungi found on the roots of trees play a vital role in their ecology, particularly by supporting the breaking down of nutrients in the soil.
But when trees began to disappear from across the Scottish Highlands, the fungi simultaneously began to vanish, which was bad news for the growth of new trees.
The project is being rolled out by Trees for Life, and focuses on adding the important spores where young trees are being planted.
Survival rates will then be compared to those planted without the addition of the fungi.
Source: The Guardian
