Scottish Fungi Pellets Boost Tree Survival to 97%

When forests are cut down, something invisible dies beneath the soil: vast networks of fungi that help trees absorb water and nutrients. Now a Scottish company has figured out how to bring them back, and the results are transforming reforestation efforts across the country.

Rhizocore Technologies makes RhizoPellets, small capsules filled with native mycorrhizal fungi customized for each planting site. These fungi form partnerships with tree roots, acting like extensions that pull in far more nutrients and water than roots could gather alone.

The company places these pellets in the soil when planting young trees. Field trials with Forestry and Land Scotland showed treated trees reached 97% survival rates, compared to just 78% for untreated trees.

Growth rates tell an even more striking story. On former grazing land, Sitka spruce grew 23% faster with the pellets. Birch trees in Trees for Life projects grew up to 13 times faster than those planted without fungal support.

CEO Toby Parkes explains that restoring these underground networks creates both ecological and economic value. Without the fungi, replanted forests struggle for years to establish themselves, wasting time, money, and carbon-capturing potential.

The Edinburgh-based company raised £4.5 million in November 2025 to scale up production. They're expanding their Scottish facility and building what will become the world's largest database of living fungi.

Rhizocore isn't stopping at reforestation. They're working with universities and wildlife trusts to develop biofilters that use locally sourced fungi to capture agricultural pollutants before they reach rivers and streams, offering nature-based solutions for water protection.

The Ripple Effect

This technology addresses one of reforestation's biggest hidden problems: we've been replanting trees without the invisible partners that kept forests healthy for millions of years. By reuniting trees with their fungal allies, Rhizocore is making restoration projects more successful while spending less money and losing fewer seedlings.

The approach could reshape how we think about ecosystem restoration worldwide. Instead of just planting trees and hoping they survive, we're rebuilding the complete underground systems that made forests resilient in the first place.

One pellet at a time, Scotland is proving that the secret to healthier forests was hiding in the soil all along.