The current nature of forest management in Poland reflects its history and more than 100 years of economic activity affecting forests since independence in 1918. Before that time, different forest management models were used, related to the nature of the Prussian economy in the north of the country, the Russian economy in the central-eastern part, and the Austrian economy in south-eastern Poland. The consequence of these management models, as well as the differing climate zones in which they were used, resulted in varied forest health. Since the end of World War II, forest coverage within Poland‘s new borders has increased from 20.8% to currently 29.6%, mainly as a result of afforestation of wastelands and former agricultural lands. This paper describes changes in the health of forests and their biological diversity in Poland in the context of weather extremes, species composition, forest management, the forest industry, and damage from insects and pathogenic fungi over the last 30 years.

This paper presents the current state of knowledge on the biological activity and possible medicinal applications of selected species of the genus Ganoderma: Ganoderma adspersum (Schulzer) Donk, Ganoderma applanatum (Pers.) Pat., Ganoderma carnosum Pat., Ganoderma lucidum (Curtis) P. Karst., Ganoderma pfeifferi Bres., Ganoderma resinaceum Boud. These inedible, wood-decaying fungi are pathogens that cause the enzymatic decomposition of wood. They are a valued natural medicinal resource and have been used in traditional Far Eastern medicine for centuries. Research conducted on these species using modern analytical methods has led to advances in knowledge of the potential therapeutic use of compounds isolated not only from basidiocarps but also from biomass obtained by in vitro methods. Recent pharmacological studies have confirmed the known traditional uses of these species, elucidated previously unknown mechanisms of biological action, and found evidence of new biological activities, such as anticancer, cytotoxic, antiallergic, and neuroprotective activities. Furthermore, the article updated the state of knowledge on the general mycological characteristics of these species.

Drought in the forest is not only a prolonged state of water shortage, but also an occasion where interactions between plants and fungi are affected. Water efficiency accelerates a range of pathologies in interactions between organisms, influencing the ecosystems and their interacting biological components. This study focuses on the role of mycorrhizal and endophyte fungi in alleviating the effects of soil water shortage, and on the impact of their altered activity during drought on the health of trees. The issues presented here show the fundamental role of the mycorrhizal mycelium and the mechanism of water transport to the plant in the course of other phenomena (withering, pathogenesis, endophytes biology) that occur in trees under influence of drought, with particular attention on managed coniferous stands. Conclusions resulting from published information on this topic emphasize the negative impact of soil moisture deficiency on the ectomycorrhizal fungi functioning and, in contrast, on the promotion of the growth of some endophytes, pathogens and hemi-parasitic mistletoes (Viscumspp.).

The rapid growth of the human population in recent decades has resulted in the intensive development of various industries, the development of urban agglomerations and increased production of medicines for animals and humans, plant protection products and fertilizers on an unprecedented scale. Intensive agriculture, expanding urban areas and newly established industrial plants release huge amounts of pollutants into the environment, which, in nature, are very slowly degraded or not decomposed, which leads to their accumulation in water and terrestrial ecosystems. Researchers are scouring extremely contaminated environments to identify organisms that have the ability to degrade resistant xenobiotics, such as PAHs, some pharmaceuticals, plasticizers and dyes. These organisms are a potential source of enzymes that could be used in the bioremediation of industrial and municipal wastewater. Great hopes are pinned on oxidoreductases, including laccase, called by some a green biocatalyst because the end product of the oxidation of a wide range of substrates by this enzyme is water and other compounds, most often including dimers, trimers and polymers. Laccase immobilization techniques and their use in systems together with adsorption or separation have found application in the enzymatic bioremediation of wastewater.

The paper presents a list of fifty-five coprinoid fungi found in Poland, which have been not reported earlier from this area (28 species) or are known only from few localities. Four species new to Poland collected in Bieszczady Mts and mentioned, without descriptions, in earlier papers, were also included and described in this publication. For the species new to Poland, illustrations and short descriptions based on the specimens examined and literature data, are given.

In many spruce stands, trees are frequently attacked by the pathogen Heterobasidion parviporum, albeit without visible symptoms in the crown. In the present work, the results of the presence of stem rot, assessed by PICUS Sonic Tomography, and the fungal biota on trees and stumps in eight plots in the Puszcza Borecka Forest are described. The plots were located in stands on original forest soil (4) and on post-agricultural soil (4), where around a stump with H. parviporum symptoms (signs of internal rot and basidiocarps), 30 trees were selected and examined for internal rot. Wood samples were collected from two selected trees for fungal molecular analysis. A total of 79 fungal taxa were found, including 57 taxa in plots on post-agricultural soil and 45 on forest soil. There were 395 fungal records on stumps and 22 records on trees, therein, from the inner parts of felled trunks. Significant differences in the Chao-1 diversity index indicate that the origin of the soil—post-agricultural or forest soil—influenced the alpha diversity of the fungal communities in the forests studied. The values of the Shannon and Simpson indices show that the two communities were similar in terms of species numbers. The presence of basidiomata of H. parviporum and two species of Armillaria (mainly A. cepistipes) in samples on all plots is striking, although Armillaria spp. was detected more frequently. Most of the species identified were typical saprotrophs, although rare species were also found, such as Entoloma byssisedum, Onnia tomentosa, Physisporinus vitreus, Postia ptychogaster, and Ramaria apiculata. The presence of H. parviporum in the inner woody parts was confirmed by PCR analysis, and decay was detected even up to a stem height of 6 m. Armillaria was the dominant genus in the studied stands and plays a significant and underestimated role in heartwood decay of old spruce trees in Puszcza Borecka Forest.