Applied use of forest fungi

The experience of over two decades of research on fungi in Iranian forests has shown that many of them can play an effective role in the economy, environment, health- treatment, and livelihood of everyday life. On the other hand, our forests, in particular the forests of the north and northwest of the country, have a wide range of forest fungal species due to its moderate climate, adequate vegetation and sufficient moisture, which can be considered as an asset for the country. Various types of edible, medicinal, and industrial fungi as well as the fungi coexisting with plants can have potentially many applications. Even toxic fungi and psychoactive fungal species will be very effective in medical studies. Because of the pristine nature of these studies in Iran, the scope and extent of work is so great and beyond the specialty of one group; therefore, a set of researchers in each of the fields listed as follows is required to do research separately: Wood and paper science: doing research on fungal species that could be in paper and MDF industries; Nutritional science: doing research on the types of edible fungi and their nutritional value; Environmental science: doing research on fungal species modifying environmental pollutants and fungal species coexisting with plants to have sustainable systems in the forest and green spaces in the urban forests; Pharmacological science: doing research on the production of a variety of valuable medicines from medicinal fungi; Combat desertification science: doing research on fungal species that help desert plants to survive; and finally the extension of research findings to introduce the edible fungal species to provide the livelihood and support the economy of households in the forest.