Unique Fungus Found for the First Time in the Belarusian Part of Białowieża Forest

Scientists have discovered for the first time in the Belarusian part of Białowieża Forest a unique fungus named after the forest itself.

Cyphelloporia bialoviesensis is an ultra-rare species that is virtually unknown outside the Białowieża Forest.

“Mycological databases contain only a single, unconfirmed herbarium specimen from the Trans-Volga area of Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod Region. In practice, this means that the only confirmed and stable population of this species in the world currently exists in Białowieża Forest, after which it was named by scientists,” the national park’s scientific department said.

All specimens of the fungus discovered so far have been found growing exclusively on dead Norway spruce wood.

“In addition, all findings have been made exclusively in damp spruce-alder forests with abundant fallen and standing deadwood. Only under such unique microclimatic conditions, with constantly high humidity and an abundance of decaying wood, can this fungus survive.

Such a narrow ecological specialization makes Cyphelloporia not merely a rare species but a truly vulnerable indicator of primeval forests. This is yet another indisputable demonstration of the importance of the protected area as a refuge for the rarest species of flora and fauna. Its survival directly depends on the continuous generation of fallen spruce wood. The removal of fallen trunks, for example during sanitary logging or forest cleanup, automatically leads to the complete disappearance of the fungus’s microhabitat.

This discovery clearly demonstrates that deadwood in Białowieża Forest is not waste but a key component of the ecosystem — the foundation supporting the lives of a vast number of extremely rare organisms. Large fallen logs ensure nutrient cycling by returning nutrients to the soil, retaining valuable moisture and providing substrate for highly specialized species, thereby preserving the planet’s unique gene pool. The protected status of the forest, where natural processes are never disturbed by humans, remains the only guarantee of survival for such relict organisms,” the scientific department explained.

It should be noted that Aliaksandr Lukashenka, during a recent visit to the Brest Region, called for “putting things in order” in Białowieża Forest, although he ultimately agreed that the protected part of the forest should remain untouched.