Developing tools for assessing fungal interest in habitats 1: beech woodland saprotrophs (ENRR597)

Over a decade of personal observations of fungal saprotrophs recycling large diameter beech substrata in Windsor Forest yielded a species list largely in accordance with thatindependently generated by a pioneering Danish beech forest project. Using these resources as a starting point for a proposed list of indicators, the BMSFRD was interrogated (sites, substrata, frequency, distribution etc) to assess the suitability of each species for use, initially within native beech habitats. Suggested additional species were treated similarly and the proposal was discussed with several field mycologists familiar with this habitat and preliminary aspects were orally presented at an English Nature workshop in Cardiff and a BMS Meeting in Kew.