Management of boreal forests with clear-cutting has a marked effect on forest biodiversity. One directly
and severely affected group of species is ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF), because of their dependence on
living host trees. Key questions in nature conservation and potentially for fungal ecosystem services
are whether EMF communities as regenerated stands age will develop into a similar composition as in
natural stands, and whether forest regeneration method matters. We addressed these questions by analyzing
EMF communities in (1) 157–174 year-old natural and about 50-year-old Scots pine forest stands
regenerated by (2) clear-cutting and planting, or (3) shelterwood regeneration with naturally established
seedlings. We identified 98 EMF species hypotheses (SHs) using IonTorrent sequencing of soil cores from
nine forest stands. We compared these results with a sporocarp survey and an RFLP-analysis of ectomycorrhizal
roots performed 18 years earlier.