The lab here at Cardiff have been busy working away on a number of projects surrounding the fungal communities that exist within oak trees in the UK (primarily Quercus robur). Our current PhD student Rich Wright has been exploring this topic in great detail alongside a team of undergraduate students, via slice experiments and core sampling of trees, woodblock experiments in the lab, and interactions experiments across different agar mediums.

Matt Wainhouse has completed most of his lab and fieldwork for his PhD at Cardiff on heart rot communities in trees and just published an interesting paper with Professor Boddy on how heart-rot inoculation could be used to veteranise trees and translocate rare fungi. Check it out here!

After storm Eunice, we are interested in hearing of any oak trees or other veteran trees that have fallen across the UK. Please get in touch via the website or by contacting Rich Wright if you have any information!