ST. GEORGE — To raise Utahn’s fungal awareness, the Mushroom Society of Utah hopes that the “beautiful and delicious” porcini is designated as the state mushroom.

Utah House Rep. Christine F. Watkins chose to sponsor the state mushroom designation bill, officially designated HB 92 in the 2023 Utah legislative session, at the request of former senator Jani Iwamoto, who Watkins has a good relationship with and would not be present to sponsor the bill herself.

So Watkins began communications with the Mushroom Society of Utah.

Chandler Rosenberg, the society’s secretary and the co-founder and organizer of Save our Great Salt Lake, told St. George News that only three other states have designated state mushrooms: Minnesota, Texas and Oregon.

None of these states chose the porcini mushroom and the group decided to put the “charismatic” fungi forward to represent the state, Rosenberg said.

“They’re very cute,” she said. “They can be quite large, and we have really beautiful specimens here in Utah.”

While they aren’t unique to the state, Watkins said one reason porcini were chosen is that they “play quite an important role in the health of our forests.”

The Mushroom Society of Utah wrote in a petition in favor of the bill that the presence of the fungus is an “indicator of forest health.” Porcini “serve a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant forest ecosystem through the symbiotic partnership with subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce and other conifers.”

As mycorrhizal mushrooms, the fungi “provide nutrients and water from the soil in exchange for sugar the plants make through photosynthesis,” Rosenberg said.

“It’s this relationship between plants and fungi that allowed plants to even come on land in the first place,” she said.

Additionally, the mushrooms, present throughout the Wasatch front, Uintas, and the montane coniferous forests of central and Southern Utah, are “beautiful and delicious” and considered “one of the most prized wild edible mushrooms,” the petition states.

“And genetic research on them is being pioneered here in Utah,” the group wrote. “Collecting wild porcini in Utah’s mountains is a favored pastime for many Utahns, and recognizing this alongside the many other outdoor activities Utah is so well-known for would further enrich our state’s reputation as a wilderness paradise.”

Rosenberg said the in-state research is another unique connection between the mushroom and Utah. And one such scientist, Bryn Dentinger, an associate professor of biology at the University of Utah and curator of mycology at the Natural History Museum of Utah, is “one of the world’s foremost leaders on porcini research.”

The group is trying to raise awareness about fungi and forest health, as Utah’s trees face issues with beetles and other threats, Rosenberg said.

“The role that the fungi play is really misunderstood or just kind of ignored,” she said. “So we’re hoping that with this bill, we can elevate awareness. … Let’s give mushrooms the place they deserve. Let’s designate a state mushroom and build on that.”

While fungi occupy a life kingdom as broad as plants or animals, they are “substantially less known,” and less than 5% of fungus species have been described, the Mushroom Society of Utah wrote. Fungi play “critically important ecological roles.”

The petition further states:

“Without fungi, and the plants that depend on them, CO2 would build up much faster than it is currently, greatly exacerbating climate change impacts. Fungi are being called the ‘next climate hero,’ and over 2,000 new fungus species are discovered each year.”

Fungi also are responsible for saving over 200 million human lives through the development of penicillin, the petition adds.

While the “fungal awakening is happening,” the group wrote that the state could be on the “leading edge of this movement toward fungal justice.”

“By elevating fungi at the state-level, public awareness of fungi and their importance will surge,” the petition states. “Children will learn about the transdisciplinary significance of fungi at an early age by learning about Utah’s State Mushroom in Utah schools.”

“By designating an official state fungus, Utah will be able to better advocate for scientific decision-making that will help make our environment more resilient and nourishing for generations to come.”

The bill was introduced in the House but has not yet been heard in committee.

Check out all of St. George News’ coverage of the 2023 Utah Legislature here.

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