The effects of forest fires on the development of morel fungus (Morchella sp.)

It is a fact that many different changes occur after fires in forests, which are very important for all living things. One of the most important of these changes is seen in forest soil since pHysical and chemical changes that occur in the soil after forest fires undoubtedly cause some differences in the forest ecosystem. Besides the negative effects of these changes, it is seen that they also cause positive developments on different ecosystem components. It is known that there has been a serious increase in the formation of some edible mushrooms due to the formation of favorable conditions after forest fires in many regions of Turkey. Morchella type mushrooms with high nutritional and economic value are one of these mushrooms. These fungi, called the true morel, are frequently encountered in areas burnt after a forest fire. Many factors affect the development of morel mushrooms. This study aims to evaluate the effects of forest fires on morel fungus development. Although these mushrooms, called morel mushrooms, are frequently encountered in burnt areas after forest fire, many factors affect the development of Morel mushrooms. This study aims to evaluate the effects of forest fires on morel fungus development. For this purpose, fire areas that occurred in Çscd2, Çsbc3 and Çscd2-2 stand type forests within the boundaries of Erzurum Regional Directorate of Forestry, Sarıkamış Forest Management Directorate, and Karakurt Forest Operation Directorate in 2017 and 2019 were determined as research areas. According to the findings obtained from the soil samples taken; Soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values of fired areas were found higher than unburned areas. As a result of the tests, pH values in mushroom fields were between 6.26-7.88; EC values between 129-715 µS / m; organic matter values between 2.82-9.6. With this study, while pH, EC, and organic matter are effective in fungal formation after the fire, it is estimated that the duration and intensity of the fire, soil properties, and suitable climatic conditions are also effective. In this paper, it was determined that pH, EC, and amount of organic matter are effective in the development of morel mushrooms. While pH, EC and the amount of organic matter are effective in the formation of fungi, they do not affect the number of fungi. Furthermore, it is considered that it is important to evaluate the possibilities and conditions of using purposeful burning techniques to support the development of the morel mushroom. Keywords: Forest fire, morel fungus, fire and fungus, soil pH, electrical conductivity of the soil, organic matter of the soil, Morchella