Fungi play an important role, as by decomposing dead organic matter they contribute to the carbon cycle in nature. Apart from this beneficial effect, fungi in forest ecosystems cause diseases of deciduous trees. Stumps, being remnants of stems left after felled trees, provide nutrient resources for various organisms, including fungi causing the most dangerous diseases of forest trees such as Armillaria root rot or Heterobasidion root rot. Colonisation of stumps is determined by three major factors, i.e. microhabitat, availability of nutrients and occurrence of other competing organisms. The primary aim of this study was to prepare an inventory of fruiting bodies of fungal species found on stumps in selected subcompartments of the Zielonka Experimental Forest Division, to present fungal species diversity in the analysed area and to identify factors determining the occurrence of fungi in the investigated area as well as those determining the intensity of stump colonisation by fungi. Results indicate that fruiting bodies were found less frequently on pine stumps than on stumps of deciduous species. The most abundant fungal species in terms of population size observed on stems in the analysed areas were Trametes versicolor (191 localities), Schizophyllum commune (136 localities) and Stereum hirsutum (130 localities). A vast majority of species reported in the analysed areas have a positive effect on the forest ecosystem.

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