– Jelly mushrooms, observes Edvin Johannesen.
The mushroom expert, who in the community only goes by the name Eddi, stands with his face right into a fir trunk.
He looks at two small orange balls hiding in the bark.
They are smaller than pin heads.
Probably neither rare nor vulnerable.
– But it must be examined under a microscope, he concludes.
It has already been established that this forest is an important area for rare and red-listed mushroom species. Now the mushroom connoisseurs want to see if there is even more to be found. Pointing in the middle is biologist Kåre Homble.
Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / NRK
Armed with magnifying glasses
Around him in the old spruce forest by the disused military camp Lahaugmoen, branches crack.
Around 15 people with rucksacks and windbreakers advance calmly through the terrain armed with magnifying glasses.
Everything from heather, sticks, standing trees and rotting logs are carefully examined for fungi.
– We are trying to find more red-listed species, says Siv Moen, who is responsible for the survey under the auspices of the Romerike mushroom and useful plant association.
– We do this to show that the area here is special, she adds.
The red list means that the species are vulnerable or threatened with extinction in Norway.
And in this forest many such mushrooms have been found in the past.
Mushrooms come in many sizes and shapes. Here, tiny mushrooms on a tree trunk.
A small part of the fungus Wrinkleskin, which is on the Norwegian red list.
The mushroom expert looks for small slime fungi that can hide in the heather.
The mushrooms are documented with pictures.
The area can be blown away
One of the things that has made the forest special is that it has been located next to an old military camp. This has protected it from modern logging methods.
But now it can go towards chopping. Once and for all.
Parts of the hill on which the forest is located can even be blown away.
This is to make room for as many as four shooting ranges with a massive noise around. At its highest, it will rise 27 meters into the air.
The field boundary was moved a few years ago so that the shooting facility is outside. Parts of the large noise embankments will still remain inside.
Illustration: Sweco
Local shooters have long seen a replacement for the shooting range they have had at Skjetten. There, the shooting range is right next to a residential area.
Already 11 years ago, the area at Lahaugmoen was “taken out” of the land so that it would be possible to build the plant.
The development is now approaching its second and decisive consideration by the municipal council in Lillestrøm.
The fact that the matter has come this far means that a majority of politicians are initially positive.
Make new discoveries
– Actually, it is very early in the year to find mushrooms, says Siv Moen.
But now time is short.
The consultation deadline set by Lillestrøm municipality expires on 25 April.
Siv Moen is responsible for the mapping of the forest, which takes place under the auspices of the Romerike mushroom and useful plant association.
Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen
– Here!
On the underside of a lying spruce, Gaute Moen Jensen has discovered something. He shows with a mirror.
A grey-brown layer covers the stem on the underside.
It turns out to be one of the mushrooms on the Norwegian red list, and one that has not been registered here before.
– It’s called Wrinkled Skin, says Jensen.
The black-spotted woodpecker species is also found nearby.
Both have the status of near threatened.
With what has been found previously, the number of red-listed mushroom species is now up to 14.
On the underside of a lying log, Gaute Moen Jensen found the wrinkled skin fungus, which is on the Norwegian red list.
Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / no
Does not deter shooters
But the fact that even more biological diversity has been discovered in the planning area does not deter the leader of Skedsmo shooting team.
– No, we think the societal benefits are so great that it’s worth it, says Tore Martinussen.
He waves towards the residential buildings which are only a few meters from today’s track.
– Noise is reduced for the residents of Skjetten. An old shooting range can be cleaned up and the capacity for sports shooters, police and defense increased, he sums up.
Fungus should not stop the track, believes the leader of Skedsmo Shooting Team, Tore Martinussen.
Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen
The hikers who use the Gjelleråsmarka south of Lahaugmoen fear that the shooting noise will move there. To a forest area that is in frequent use by people from Groruddalen, Lillestrøm and Nittedal.
But according to the calculations in the plan, this should probably not be a problem.
– Mushrooms can be moved
Behind the proposal for the shooting ranges is Lahaug Skytebane AS.
The new fungal findings do not change any conclusions, they believe.
In an e-mail to NRK, the company writes that measures are planned to safeguard the environment and nature.
– As red-listed species have already been identified on dead logs, it is planned that these will be moved to adjacent areas with similar habitat, writes Randi Wartland Kortegaard.
The politicians must decide
The solution must therefore be to move the canes with vulnerable mushroom species to another location.
In the first instance, it will be the local politicians who will decide whether nature or shooters should have priority.
Simply moving some of the mushrooms is not a solution for mushroom connoisseurs and conservationists.
The old spruces and the mushrooms around them must be allowed to remain, they believe.
– We hope for the longest time, says Kåre Homble.
The forest at Lahaugmoen has several old and very tall fir trees.
Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / NRK
Tags: Discovery endangered mushroom species forests stop construction shooting ranges conservationists hope Greater Oslo
-
