SVIMS Monthly Meeting April 9, 2024 at
St Luke’s Hall, 3821 Cedar Hill X Rd, Victoria, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Live Meeting with Zoom option
Start at 7 pm – please don’t arrive before 6:30.
Zoom Link will be emailed to SVIMS members a few days before meeting.
Our presenter will be Marty Kranabetter. Below his photo, see more about his talk and his background. His talk will be
Recent findings on the ecology of ectomycorrhizal fungi across coastal British Columbia
Forests along coastal British Columbia face a wide range in growing conditions, from very poor soils (low in nitrogen or phosphorus availability) to highly productive sites. The capacity of trees to thrive in these contrasting ecosystems is dependent upon their symbiotic fungi (‘ectomycorrhiza’). In this presentation I will review recent studies that demonstrate how communities of ectomycorrhizal fungi are adapted to our local soils. In addition, I will summarize ongoing studies into the diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi, and how forest management practices can help retain the impressive fungal biodiversity of our coastal landscapes.
Marty Kranabetter is the West Coast regional soil scientist with the BC Ministry of Forests and is located in Victoria. Marty’s areas of interest are soil ecology (especially ectomycorrhizal fungi), biodiversity conservation, carbon sequestration, and forest nutrition/productivity. Marty is a member of the provincial soil science group undertaking North American-wide studies on compaction and site organic matter removal (the Long-term Soil Productivity Study). Most recently he has also been examining nitrogen and phosphorus deficiencies inherent to coastal forests and their interactions on conifer nutrition and forest productivity.
