An Unstoppable Mushroom Is Tearing Through North American Forests. Fungi Enthusiasts Are Doing Damage Control

A rogue mushroom native to Asia is ripping through North American forests, after escaping from cultivation. As it runs riot, mushroom enthusiasts are rescuing the native fungi in its path.

The razor blade of the newly unpacked surgical scalpel glints in the late Autumn light. I spray alcohol sanitiser on the work surface, rub my hands religiously, and try not to sneeze.

I am about to clone a mushroom – a pristine grey oyster, its smooth cap the colour of a cloud just about to burst.

This is not how I imagined my first time cloning something would be. I’m not in a sterile laboratory – I’m in a tent in a muddy field in Sussex in the UK with dozens of other campers, at the annual All Things Fungi Festival. Many are wearing furry mushroom-themed hats or jumpers. A few metres away a medicine woman chimes a gong as she leads a fungi-themed “sound bath” session.