Sometimes the most important innovations are just rediscovering what nature's been doing all along.
Here's the problem. When you plant a baby tree in a new spot, it's basically a helpless infant trying to figure out how to survive. It has no root network, no connections, and struggles alone in potentially hostile soil while competing with weeds and fighting off predators.
The traditional solution is chemical pesticides and hoping for the best. But survival rates are low, at a bout 78%.
The Fungal Solution
An Edinburgh startup called Rhizocore Technologies had a different idea. They understood what happens in established forests where trees aren't solo operators. the latest research shows that they're plugged into a massive underground fungal network that scientists call the "wood wide web."
These ectomycorrhizal fungi wrap around tree roots and create a symbiotic relationship that's been evolving for hundreds of millions of years. The fungi extend the tree's reach, pulling in water and nutrients from way beyond where roots can go. In return, the tree shares sugars from photosynthesis. It's a very effective you-scratch-my-back type arrangement.
The problem is that when you're planting new trees in disturbed ground, that fungal network is usually missing. The trees are unconnected, and suffer for it.
Dr. Toby Parkes, CEO of Rhizocore, nails why this approach makes sense: "Ectomycorrhizal fungi provide nutrients, retain water, improve soils and protect trees from disease. But because they rely on trees for survival, they're often missing from planting sites."
Fungal Pellets
So Rhizocore made pellets containing native fungi that you plant right alongside the saplings. It's like giving each baby tree a starter pack of beneficial fungal partners too grow alongside.
Impressively, treated trees have survival rates of up to 97%. That's a substantial improvement. They went from losing one in five trees to losing one in thirty.
But survival is just the beginning. The results across different projects are staggering:
- 97% vs 78% survival rates
- Up to 50% faster growth
- 13× growth improvement
-
20% boost in carbon capture
Resilience improves dramatically, with trees developing stronger resistance to droughts and root diseases, potentially saving up to £400 per hectare in management costs. That's money not spent on interventions, pesticides, or replanting failures.
Investment
Good news. Demand for the pellets is high and investors have noticed. Scott Reid at The Scotsman reported in November that Rhizocore just secured £4.5 million in funding, led by The First Thirty, a specialist investor in soil health technologies. Even more telling, some of their own customers invested in the round, including The Grosvenor Estate, one of the UK's largest landowners.
The company now operates across more than 100 active field sites and is eyeing North American expansion. Which makes sense, since North America plants 1.4 billion trees annually. If you can dramatically improve survival rates at scale, you're looking at massive environmental and economic impact.
Antony Yousefian from The First Thirty nailed why this matters beyond just forestry: "We invest in technologies that unlock the economic value of soil health, and Rhizocore is the perfect example. Their technology demonstrates that enhancing soil biology is not only an ecological benefit, but also a powerful driver of financial returns."
Translation: doing right by nature can actually make financial sense. Revolutionary concept, I know.
Plus, healthier trees mean better carbon capture, more biodiversity, and sustainable timber for the long haul. The fungi are basically doing the heavy lifting while we just get to enjoy forests that actually thrive.
The Takeaway
What I love about this is it's not some fancy genetic modification or high-tech engineering. It's just understanding how forests actually work and giving them what they need. The fungi are locally adapted, meaning they're already suited to Scottish conditions. They're not reinventing the wheel.
They're simply reconnecting relationships that were always meant to be there. I have a feeling there are many more solutions to mankind's problems waiting to be discovered in our forests, soil and natural habitats. So let's pay attention.
