Truffles hunter Tino Marolo checks truffle found with his dog Stella in the woods in Vezza d’Alba, near Alba in northern Italy on Oct 1. (AP Photo)
Climate change is threatening Europe’s prized white truffles, as rising temperatures and prolonged drought reduce harvests and affect the forests where the valuable fungi grow.
In Italy’s Piedmont region, hunters known as “trifolau” traditionally begin the season on Oct. 1. But this year, months of heat and drought have resulted in smaller truffles and lower production.
“The entire month of October was affected by the lack of rain in July and August and the high temperatures, so it was characterized by poor production and poor truffle shelf life,” said Antonio Degiacomi, president of Italy’s National Centre for Truffle Studies.
The difficult season has pushed prices at Alba’s truffle market up by 20 percent to 30 percent compared with last year, according to Axel Iberti, president of the International White Truffle Fair, which runs until Dec. 6.
Experts say the problem has been developing for five or six years, with hotter summers and increasingly irregular rainfall.
Similar challenges are emerging in Croatia. Truffle hunter Petar Alebic estimates this year’s harvest there is about 30 percent below normal, blaming prolonged drought for smaller and scarcer fungi.
Armin Mesic, a mycologist at the Rudjer Boskovic Institute, said Croatia’s white truffle habitats were also shrinking. The prized variety can fetch up to 4,000 euros ($4,500) per kilogram.
Despite the declining harvests, experts say white truffles are not facing imminent extinction. Researchers are exploring forest management, reforestation and experimental irrigation to help habitats retain moisture and withstand higher temperatures.
Newly planted trees, however, can take more than a decade to become suitable hosts for truffles.
Scientists are also studying soil microorganisms and tree varieties better adapted to dry conditions. While black truffles can be cultivated, reliable large-scale production of white truffles remains elusive.
Experts say protecting forests will be essential to preserving the traditional relationship between truffle hunters, their dogs and the natural environment.
