Detection of Tricholoma matsutake in soil after forest fire in a Pinus densiflora forest in Korea

We examined T. matsutake survived in soil after forest fires in T. matsutake-produced forest in the pre-fire period and the situation of damages from forest fire in stands. We established a square plot of (50 m×50 m) in a burned site and divided it into 100 square quadrats of (5 m×5 m). Tree density of P. densiflora, the dominant tree species, in plot was 2,104/ha, with a basal area accounting for 99%. The percentage of dead pine trees was 52.1%, which is less than in other species as 88.6% and 100% of Quercus spp. and Prunus sargentii, respectively. In PCR amplification using the T. matsutake-specific primer pair, the 400-bp fragment was found in 29 of 100 soil sample s from each quadrat and in control cultures. The relationship to the percentage of crown damage differed significantly (p=0.0026), with means between Tm and nTm of 59% and 70.5%, respectively. Moreover, the difference between BLT and nBLT on crown damage was highly significant in the U-test (p=0.0008). Therefore, P. densiflora in inner quadrats with low crown damage had T. matsutake on their roots. T. matsutake favor P. densiflora and mineral soils with low litter rather than under BLT with a thick humus layer. The area of T. matsutake from a forest fire in crown damage to P. densiflora will eventually decrease in relation to the increase in BLT. Hence, the species distribution in understory vegetation such as shrub and BLT is an important factor for overstory tree survival from forest fires. In conclusion, the management of T. matsutake forest by controlling tree density and taking out understory vegetation is considered a good method for decreasing damage from forest fires.