The power of fungi

Suggesting that mushrooms and other fungi dont get the respect they deserve, a Northern Arizona University liberal studies major hopes to change that this summer with experiments involving the restoration of forest roads. As Joe Trudeau, 24, explains, fungus plays an important role in the forest ecosystem. Mycorrhizal fungi consists of microscopic organisms that grow on the roots of plants and help them absorb more nutrients; saprophytic fungi, like the mushrooms you find in the woods, are critical decomposers of wood, which put nutrients such as stored carbon dioxide back into the soil