INVESTING IN THE WOOD-WIDE WEB

Rhizocore Technologies, an Edinburgh-based company that produces unique fungal pellets to ensure trees survive and thrive, has ambitious plans to scale its operations over the next two and half years, after winning £3.5 million pounds in new funding.

Founded in 2021 by CEO Toby Parkes and Chief Mycologist David Satori, the company has developed the first-of-its-kind pellet, which facilitates a vital underground nutrient exchange known as the Wood-Wide Web.

Their unique approach to restoring underground fungal networks offers a new and sustainable solution to accelerating woodland regeneration, improving forest productivity, and increasing the potential for carbon capture.

The Edinburgh-based company’s latest funding has come from ReGen Ventures, Collaborative Fund, and Grok Ventures. The investment will allow Rhizocore to build upon its 10-person team and develop the infrastructure needed to achieve its goals.

“To receive such global backing really is a validation of our product’s potential to restore ecosystems around the world - but it’s also a recognition of the transformative power that fungi hold, as the crucial foundation of the planet’s ecosystems,” said Toby Parkes.

“This is a radical approach to tackle climate change that we’re developing at Rhizocore, and with the support from our investors, we will be able to sequester gigatons of carbon to protect the future of the Earth for generations to come.”

THE WOOD-WIDE WEB

The Wood-Wide Web is the subsurface network that promotes tree growth in a forest ecosystem. Rhizocore’s pellet is made from mycorrhizal fungi, which enhances nutrient uptake, water absorption, disease resistance, and soil stability, thereby promoting the overall health and productivity of forests.

Rhizocore Technologies produces locally adapted mycorrhizal fungi which helps trees and plants access water and nutrients from the soil, and in return, the plants provide the fungi with sugars produced through photosynthesis.

The mycorrhizal fungi are crucial for regulating plant growth, and its benefits to trees range from improving tree growth in early years of planting (typically the first 10 years of the tree’s life), to decreasing the mortality rates of young saplings.

The fungi are essential for trees because not only does it shuttle nutrients into trees, but it also allows trees to pass water between themselves and it increases the tolerance of trees to soil-borne diseases.

For The Love Of Mushrooms

For Toby Parkes, the humble mushroom has had a raw deal.

“I think humans are biased towards cute, cuddly animals whereas the planet’s biodiversity relies just as much on systems that most people find less interesting,” said Toby.

“However, we will never improve ecological systems without fundamentally understanding all of the quirky organisms that are fundamental to processes that go on in the natural world.

“We need to elevate the profile of fungi up to the level of plants and animals because it is every bit as important, even if you’re unlikely to see a David Attenborough documentary about it.”

The Urgent Need To Plant More Trees

Tree planting is an important branch of environmental sustainability, and trees are powerful tools that nourish the earth in several ways, from cleaning the air to reducing soil erosion, from providing habitats for wildlife to mitigating the effects of climate change.

According to the UK’s Annual Tree Planting Rates 2023 , in the 12 months leading up to the end of March 2023, only 12,960 hectares of woodland were created, which is roughly 1,000 hectares less than the previous year. This new total is only slightly more than one-third of the UK government’s annual target of 30,000 hectares per year by the end of 2025.

Considering the role trees play in environmental sustainability, there is an urgent demand for more trees to be planted in the UK. A single tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, which means that if you plant just one tree, you can offset the emissions from driving a car for 1,000 miles. The benefits of trees to the environment cannot be overemphasised.

Trials of Rhizocore’s fungal pellet are underway with The Nature Trust in County Mayo, Ireland, as well as with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Forestry England, Trees for Life, and the Borders Forest Trust.

This year they’ve treated between 30 to 40,000 trees. They plan to treat as many as 250,000 next year and between three to 5 million in 2025.

When asked what the measure of success will be over the next two to three years, Toby is clear.

“More trees surviving, more forests and ecosystems re-establishing, and more carbon being drawn down.”

That’s surely an ambition we should all share.