22 Dec 2021

Our Changing World - The pine-fighting fungus

From Afternoons, 3:35 pm on 22 December 2021

New research has shown a native fungus could help slow the spread of invasive wilding pines.

A photo of Genevieve Early in the University of Canterbury Mushrrom house with the Armillaria fungus samples grown for her research.

Genevieve Early with the Armillaria fungus samples grown for her research Photo: Katy Gosset/RNZ

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Conservationists estimate that wilding pines now cover 1.8 hectares of land across New Zealand.

Katy Gosset meets a Canterbury Masters student who hopes to halt the pines' progress by innoculating the felled trees with armillaria fungus.