Researchers at Arizona State University are exploring an unusual solution to help deserts recover after devastating wildfires fungi commonly found in oyster mushrooms.
The research focuses on using mycelium, the underground root-like network of fungi, to stabilise soil damaged by fire and reduce erosion in desert regions increasingly threatened by climate change and invasive grasses.
The project began after the 2025 Saddlebrooke Fire in Arizona scorched more than 200 acres of grazing land near Falcon Valley Ranch. Months after the fire, researchers found the landscape still badly damaged, with deep soil erosion, blackened vegetation and invasive grasses spreading across the burned land.
Civil engineering student Henry Nakaana and environmental engineering student Lune Martin are among the young researchers leading the study under assistant professor Emmanuel Salifu. Their work investigates whether fungi can help burned soils recover faster and become more resistant to erosion and landslides.
The team is using Pleurotus ostreatus, commonly known as the oyster mushroom. While the mushroom itself is edible, researchers are interested in its mycelium a dense underground network that naturally breaks down organic matter and recycles nutrients into the soil.
Lab experiments showed that fungal mycelium can significantly reduce soil erosion within about a week, particularly in fire damaged soil. Researchers also found that the fungi help retain nutrients needed for vegetation recovery.
Scientists say desert ecosystems are especially vulnerable to fire because native plants such as saguaros and palo verde trees are not adapted to survive intense wildfires. Invasive grasses, worsened by climate change and drought, now spread fires more rapidly across dry landscapes.
Russell Benford of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management described soil instability after wildfires as one of the region’s biggest environmental challenges.
Researchers believe fungal treatments could eventually be applied using existing technologies such as drones already used for spraying mulch over burned areas. The goal is to create an affordable and scalable recovery system for wildfire-hit landscapes.
The study has already gained attention in the growing field of biogeotechnics, which explores nature based engineering solutions using living organisms such as fungi and bacteria.
Nakaana, who became lead author of a peer-reviewed paper on the project, said the research offers hope for communities struggling with increasingly destructive wildfires.
Scientists say the findings may not only help Arizona’s deserts but also wildfire prone regions worldwide, including parts of Brazil and Australia, where climate change is intensifying fire risks.