Burn-Site Morels East of the Rockies

[Tamara]

Hey Dave! I thought I'd answer your question on a different thread, as I didn't want to take away from the excellent conversation going on in "2015". Also, I'd love to hear from others about what they have or haven't seen concerning Burn-Site Morels East of the Rockies.

I am pretty sure that I found burn-site morels in Kentucky. I was astonished as well, as I had gathered from my readings that they only occurred in the west, but there they were! In the summer of 2010 we had some forest fires in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The following spring, actually the third Saturday in April, 2011, I was hiking a favorite trail to asses the damage. I wasn't even hunting morels, as I've never found them on this ridge top at all, but when I happened to look down at the roots of some burned Mountain Laurel, I found that I was surrounded by what looked like a bunch of burned pine cones. There were just so many of them, and I don't usually see black Morels clustered. I collected at this spot and others for a full month. Some were lighter in color than the first I found, but all gregarious. I've never seen a single Morel in these spots since.

I did post the attached picture to this website at the time, but as no one seemed surprised by the circumstances or the location, I figured that I was mistaken about the West vs East thing. I also sent a few emails about it to some other mushroom sites, but again didn't hear back at the time. I even saved some dried specimens back in case someone wanted to examine them. (I have since eaten them as there were no takers).

The same thing happened in 2012 in a different, recently burned site. Since then we have had a break from fires (hurrah!) until the fall of 2014. When I checked this past spring, there were no Morels at the burn sites (recent or old).

All this circumstantial evidence before you, has anyone else found what they thought were burn-site Morels east of the Rockies?

[Tasso]

Here is a report of burn site morels in Upper Michigan in 2008. Scroll down: http://vielmetti.typepad.com/vacuum/2008/06/sleeper-lake-fi.html

The DNR of Michigan has an interactive map of burn sites, so maybe it's true. Here's the site: http://www.midnr.com/Publications/pdfs/ArcGISOnline/StoryMaps/frd_mushrooms_hunting/index.html?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

[Dave W]

Tasso, the Michigan burn-site morels are the only ones that I am aware of east of the Rockies. It's pretty cool that MDNR provides a map of Michigan burn sites where morels are expected to occur. As the article states (see link in above post), potential sites for fire morels are usually forested with some type(s) of pine. This is also true in the Rockies (although I think Douglas Fir and spruce may also produce fire morels). Thanks for adding this very interesting info.

Tamara, what you describe --clustered black morels occurring in large numbers for an extended period during only the first post-fire spring-- sounds exactly like what happens in the Rocky Mountain burn sites. What types of trees are in these burn sites? If you find the morels again, hang on to a few dried ones. Someone may be interested in determining the species. Western fire morels belong to species different than any of the typical eastern NA morels. Very interesting!

[Tamara]

Tasso! Yes, I did see that Michigan link. I didn't save it, but that was one of the things that made me re-think the uniqueness of the situation. I figured if Michigan had them, then it wasn't unheard of elsewhere, this side of the Rockies.

Dave - the trees in the burned areas include Pines and Firs (also a few oaks). I will have to go back to my journals and/or the site to double check the specific kinds... if I can tell. Also, there were the Mountain Laurels...

Thanks for commenting. It really has nagged at me.

[rob]

Again circumstantial. I've also found large, black morel, fruitings after a fire. This was in southern Ontario in a small sandy bowl, predominately aspen. The depression consistently produced a few blacks and the odd yellow every year. Several years back a bush party ( I assume) got out of control and a large grass fire burned the area over. The next few years the burnt aspen stand was on fire...pun intended. Now this could be due to stress on the trees, weather, etc. but all in all there were considerably more morels post fire.

[Dave W]

I don't know if the burn site morels of western NA typically occur in areas where significantly fewer morels may occur under normal conditions. But I do know that western collectors distinguish between "naturals" and "fire morels". And I believe that DNA analysis confirms these common names are applied to species from different groups of genus Morchella. Rob, it kinda sounds like your black fire morels may be one of the typical eastern NA types, but stimulated by the fire. It is not typical in the western burns to find notable numbers of morels after the first post-fire year. Tamara's description is different in this respect, large numbers during the first year followed by none at all during subsequent years.

[rob]

Dave, I totally agree. I wasn't trying to imply my finds were "fire morels". These fungi were certainly the same post fire as they were pre burn. I was just chiming in on how fire can (or does ?) result in a morel increase.

Tamara asked for anyone who had found burn site morels, east of the Rockies, this site produced far higher quantities post burn. Perhaps indicating post burns are worth investigating even in known spots. Probably due to stress but maybe a change in the soil.

As a non burn related aside. A spot close to the afore mentioned sandy bowl; steep cedar hill with a small aspen stand always produced six or eight blacks a year. Several years back a large aspen came down, the resulting fruiting filled two grocery bags of blacks averaging about six inches high. Some almost ten. I assume same reasoning, stress on the host trees.

[Dave W]

Morels fruiting in response to the host trees being subjected to stressful conditions is a prevalent hypothesis. In my neck of the woods this is best seen with apple trees and elm trees.

Large old apple trees die over the course of 5-10 years, and in some cases portions of a tree may die off in stages. A stressed apple tree produces 5-20 yellow morels per year with larger numbers the last 2-4 years the tree is still hanging on. After the tree dies there may be 1-2 additional years when morels fruit around it. Then after that, nada.

American elms get to be 25-35 feet tall and then quickly fall victim to Dutch Elm Disease. A healthy-looking elm will die completely over the course of a year. When this happens to a tree associated with Morchella there may be 100 or more large morels seen fruiting around the one dead tree.

Rob, I believe I have seen a similar thing with my local black morels. 4 or 5 years ago the woods where I find my blacks had a die-off of white ash, probably due to the ash emerald borer but possibly also affected by a few seriously hot/dry periods during March or April. Most years between 2002 and 2010 I had collected good numbers of blacks in the areas with ash, but since the ash trees have died the numbers of black morels in this area has been meager. I think the large fruitings of blacks had been due to the ash trees dying. But, April weather conditions haven't been good since maybe 2011... prolonged periods with sub-freezing nights or stretches of hot/dry weather, one or the other instead of a nice constant warm-up with some rain events. So maybe weather is a dominant factor here. There's still some ash trees left, and the tulip poplar are fine in this area. Waiting for a decent spring with 2-4 weeks of blacks flushing to compare numbers with what I was getting back in the late 20-aughts.

I've never collected morels in a burnt area here in eastern NA. I've checked a few burnt spots over the years, but never a burned-over known morel area. I don't find the aspen-associated blacks around here.

The "stress hypothesis" is also used to explain the fruiting of morels associated with healthy trees. The explanation goes like this. When the healthy trees respond to the impetus to produce foliage, they tap into nutrients generally shared with the fungus and the loss is stressful to the fungus.

[themess1]

I've used the MI DNR burn site map several times in the past with good results, especially in the thumb area. I've searched state land in the thumb area with little to no success. I then tried burn sites less than a mile away and morels were abundant, especially blacks.

[Dave W]

Themess1, I have read that MI gets burn-site morels. What type of trees where the MI fire-morels occur?

[1shotwade]

We have found blacks after a burn in among oaks but this was a site where we knew they already existed. I wonder how many of the so-called burn site shrooms are actually existing sites that were discovered because of the lack of vegetation.

Wade

[themess1]

Dave, most of the burn sites I've visited are mostly ash and elm. A lot of these sites have been previously cleared due to the Emerald Ash Borer invasion. I'm also wondering if some of these sites are experiencing increased morels due to the high volume of dead or dying ash trees.

Wade, most of the sites I've visited are already growing in pretty thick less than a year after the burn. Most places you wouldn't even know were burned the previous year.

[Dave W]

The western NA morel species (types) typically called "fire morels" occur in pine-dominated coniferous woods. I have heard that small numbers of morels sometimes occur in these woods during non-burn years.

I have collected good amounts of both black and yellow morels in woods where white ash trees have been dying over the past 8 years. These same areas had typically produced both types of morels before the trees started dying.

Near American elm trees, large yellow morels occur the first/second spring after a given elm tree dies. But near healthy-looking elms almost no morels are ever seen.

Partner trees suddenly dying or enduring threatening conditions seem to correlate with large numbers of morels.

[themess1]

Well, the Ash Borer is a huge problem here in Michigan. Lots of dead and dying Ash stands around the state. Unfortunately, terrible for the trees and wildlife that need them but, it should definitely increase morel harvests for the coming years. The burn sites are just an added bonus. Plus, I don't have to go as far up north to find them.

[Dave W]

I suspect the long-term effect of the dying ash trees will be smaller numbers of morels in those areas. In the mid-Atlantic region, forests of healthy ash and tulip poplar have been some of the best areas to find blacks, the small yellows (Morchella diminutiva, "deliciosas"), half-frees, and sometimes a few large yellows.

[themess1]

We've also had success in meadows bordering coniferous forests and pine/Christmas tree farms. It seems like the areas were the pine duff and meadow grasses intermix seem to produce their fair share of healthy morels of various types, depending on area and season.

[Dave W]

Here in PA, open areas near white pine are known to produce yellow morels, but it seems to be uncommon. I haven't ever found any morels in such habitat, but this is partly because I spend much of the first two weeks of May in more likely morel habitat... ash/tulip-polar forest, old apple orchards --I have tested the soil for lead content in my local orchard spots, and areas with elm trees.