Italian and Croatian truffle hunters combat drought with reforestation

Truffle hunters and forest managers in Italy and Croatia are taking action to protect white truffle harvests from a warming climate.

In the Langhe hills of Italy, a region famous for its white truffles, months of heat and drought have led to smaller yields and poor shelf life for the fungi. Antonio Degiacomi, president of Italy’s National Centre for Truffle Studies, says dry and compacted soil has negatively impacted the production of these prized truffles.

The International White Truffle Fair in Alba is currently seeing higher prices as supply tightens. Axel Iberti, the fair's president, notes that while recent rains have improved some conditions, the long-term trend of erratic rainfall and high temperatures continues to threaten the truffle's habitat. Similar issues are occurring in Croatia, where Petar Alebic reports that years of drought have made white truffles scarcer and smaller.

Armin Mesic of the Rudjer Boskovic Institute explains that high temperatures and a lack of rainfall reduce both the quantity and the geographical area where these truffles can grow. To combat these changes, local communities and researchers are focusing on reforestation and forest management. In the Piedmont region of Italy, landowners and municipalities are creating new public truffle grounds and planting trees to lower soil temperatures and retain moisture.

While these new trees may take over a decade to become suitable hosts for truffles, experts believe these conservation efforts are necessary to ensure future generations can continue to harvest the fungi. Researchers are also looking for tree varieties that can survive hotter, drier conditions.