Wood Substrate Experiment

QUESTION:

What is the best local substrate to fill the post-fire myco-filter sock with?

PROBLEM/CONTEXT:

Conventional silt socks are oftentimes filled with imported woody biomass. Hawaiʻi is the endemic species capital of the world and home to the endemic ʻōhiʻa lehua tree (Metrosideros polymorpha). A recently imported fungal disease called Rapid ʻŌhiʻa Death (aka: ROD; Ceratocystis huliohia and Ceratocystis lukuohia) is wiping out ʻōhiʻa lehua trees in the Hawaiian archipelago. Many off-island parasites could potentially threaten many more rare, endemic species. As a result, importation of woody biomass to the islands is understandably strictly controlled.

 

HYPOTHESIS:

We can partner with local, native and naturalized fungi to inoculate locally-sourced woody biomass from chipped local invasive tree species for filling the myco-filter socks.

 

MATERIALS:

Local, native and naturalized fungal spawn, filter socks, and various species of chipped local invasive woody materials.

 

PROCEDURE: Students create myco-filter socks using different species of chipped invasive tree species to experiment which substrates perform the best.

 

LEARNING/CONCLUSION:

Students will test observe and determine which local invasive wood species actually myceliate with local, native and naturalized fungi, how quickly each respective wood species myceliates and how they thoroughly they myceliate.

NEXT STEPS:

Students will open source their results to the world, so that other mycoremediators throughout the tropics with these same pan-tropical,invasive tree species in their bioregions will know which substrates work well.