PhD, Researcher

Formerly the Head of Mycology Division, retired in 2008. I now work as a
Research Associate among the Mycology team, studying the taxonomy of polypores and other aphyllophoroid fungi. I am co-author and/or editor in
several book projects. I am doing fieldwork and collecting mostly in Europe,
but also Africa, China and the Canadian North, and teaching in field courses
on wood-inhabiting fungi. My other interests include the vegetation of tropical Africa, and nature photography.

Publications

• TUHAT database

Research topics

• Polypores of Finland
• Edible mushrooms in East Africa

Polypores in Finland

Finnish mycota of polypores is perhaps the best known in the world thanks to active research and collecting activity. I am working on a new up-to-date book on Finnish polypores as a continuation of the book “Polypores, lignicolous fungi” published in 2005.

Edible mushrooms in East Africa

Tuomo Niemelä, Marja Härkönen, Heikki Kotiranta

We have collected and studied agarics and polypores of East Africa, mostly Tanzania, in collaboration with Dar es Salaam University, and a book was published on the topic. Recently our focus has been on edible mushrooms and their traditional uses in Mozambique and Zambia, and we are preparing a book on the subject.