After the deadly Los Angeles wildfires turned homes into chemical-laced rubble, one scientist is using mushrooms and native plants to detoxify the land and rethink how to clean up after disaster.
Mattha Busby reports for Atmos.
In short:
- Environmental toxicologist Danielle Stevenson is pioneering a sustainable cleanup method by planting native fungi and plants that naturally extract toxins from soil scorched by wildfires.
- Her technique, trialed successfully on LA brownfields like Taylor Yard, dramatically reduced petrochemical pollution and revived dead zones into thriving ecosystems within a year.
- Stevenson’s work challenges conventional “dig and dump” methods that relocate contaminated soil, often untreated, and could spark a broader “mycoeconomy” of fungi-powered environmental repair.
Key quote:
“I’ve seen amazing reductions in contaminants in relatively short times with very few inputs. I really believe in this stuff.”
— Danielle Stevenson, founder of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation
Why this matters:
Paired with native plants, these fungi may constitute a new approach to restoration — one that doesn’t rely on hauling toxic soil to another zip code, but on cleaning it where it lies. This is also climate adaptation: With wildfires expected to grow in scale and intensity, bioremediation could offer a cheaper, healthier, and more sustainable way to protect scorched communities from chemical exposure while healing the land. Stay tuned: Stevenson is now working to publish her findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Read more: How fungi could help clean up our biggest toxic messes
