Fungi

One of the many variety of mushrooms growing in Fort Clatsop.

NPS Photo

There are 119 known species of fungi that are recorded to be present within the park. Fungi are all around us, covering the bark of trees (lichen), fruiting with brilliant colors (mushrooms), and connecting groves of trees and plants underground in an extensive network (mycelium). They are an important part of many ecosystems, recycling nutrients through decomposition.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its abundance of edible mushrooms and at the park it is hard to not notice the brightly colored caps appearing throughout the forest. Mushrooms and the fungi that produce them, are an important part of the forest habitat and are protected like all resources within the park. Many mushrooms contain toxins. Some can be irritants to the skin and others are deadly if ingested. Indeed, it is extremely difficult for anyone but an expert to identify the difference between edible and inedible mushrooms.