Mapping underground fungal networks from space to promote forest health

Diverse networks of fungi lie below forest floors, governing key ecological processes like carbon storage and nutrient cycling. Yet the composition and structure of these communities remain poorly understood, partly because mapping belowground biology at landscape scales is difficult and costly. As climate change and land use change accelerates, this knowledge gap limits our ability to evaluate forest restoration and refine climate models. This project will integrate high-resolution hyperspectral satellite imagery with field-based environmental DNA profiling of soil-fungal communities across Haida Gwaii, British Columbia – a coastal temperate rainforest where roughly two-thirds of the forest has been logged. Co-developed with Indigenous-led institutions on Haida Gwaii, the project will evaluate whether satellite observations of the forest canopy can predict belowground fungal recovery, delivering monitoring tools and spatial data to support Haida-led forest stewardship.

Above: Mossy logs over a path in Naikoon Park, Haida Gwaii. Image credit: dorinser / iStock