The species is threatend by the loss of habitat, which is forest with long continuity of undisturbed ecosystem, with trees of varios ages. Such exosystem is essential for continual colonization of dead wood by slowly evolving mycelia. Herricium cirrhatum is a species of broadleaved and mixed forests. The forests are declining mainly due to changing logging practices, development projects and pollution (airborne nitrogen deposition) and soil drying. The species is redlisted in most countries of its occurrence. Over the distribution range we assume a total habitat and population decline of 15% over the past 50 years (approximately three generations). Habitat quality has also become impaired and the decline in population size over this time could be even higher. This decline in habitat is ongoing and expected to continue over the next 50 years. GBIF and national databases list 2278 occurrences. Real number of localities might be up to more than 10 000, with 1 to 10 individuals at each and the species is assumed to have a population of more than 20 000 mature individuals. Though the populations is probably stable at a global scale the population decline is assumed to be on average >15% in 50 years (past, present and future) due to habitat decline. The species meets the threshold for NT (A2c+3c+4c).

Synonyms:
Creolophus cirrhatus (Pers.) P. Karst., Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 5: 42 (1879)
Creolophus corrugatus (Fr.) P. Karst. [as ‘corrugatum’], Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 5: 42 (1879)
Creolophus diversidens (Fr.) P. Karst., Meddn Soc. Fauna Flora fenn. 5: 42 (1879)
Dryodon cirrhatus (Pers.) Quél., Enchir. fung. (Paris): 193 (1886)
Dryodon corrugatus (Fr.) Cejp [as ‘corrugatum’], Fauna Flora Cechoslov., II, Hydnaceae: 101 (1928)
Dryodon diversidens (Fr.) Quél., Compt. Rend. Assoc. Franç. Avancem. Sci. 15(2): 487 (1887) [1886]
Hericium diversidens (Fr.) Nikol., Acta Inst. Bot. Acad. Sci. USSR Plant. Crypt., Ser. II 6: 222 (1950)
Hydnum cirrhatum Pers., Neues Mag. Bot. 1: 109 (1794)
Hydnum corrugatum Fr., Observ. mycol. (Havniae) 2: 269 (1818)
Hydnum diversidens Fr., Syst. mycol. (Lundae) 1: 411 (1821)
Hydnum paradoxum Schultz, Prodr. Fl. Starg.: 492 (1806)
Steccherinum cirrhatum (Pers.) Teng, Chung-kuo Ti Chen-chun, [Fungi of China]: 763 (1963)

Rare, wood decaying species of old broad-leaved forests, especfially beech forests. Threatened by loss of habitat, by logging, clearcutting and replacing of old, successively evolved forests by monocultures.

Only a single record from Canada, Montreal
single record from Japan 1994 Ichihara-shi
Around 40 known localities from Slovakia, but 1-2 individuals at each.

Broadleaved forests, generally with a long history of continuous tree cover, retained dead wood, a range of tree age classes. Formerly relatively open wood pastures or hunting forests. Saprothrop of dead wood, though sometimes seen fruiting on living trees, more detailed investigation usually indicates that it is the dead parts of such trees that harbour the subtending mycelium.
Saprophytic stumps and wood of deciduous trees (beech, oak, willow, birch). It produces white rot.

Loss of habitat, which is forest with long continuity of undisturbed ecosystem, with trees of varios ages. Such exosystem is essential for continual colonization of dead wood by slowly evolving mycelia.
Habitat is threatened by logging, clearcutting of native forests and their replacement by monoculters of same aged trees.

Management of the speciesmust largely depend on conservation of trees and sites currently known to harbour fruiting individuals and, in the longer term, ensuring continuity of tree species and conditions which favour fruiting, spore production and subsequent colonisation. Practical measures range from retention of individual branches fallen or cut from known occupied trees, to the enhancement of ecological continuity at the landscape scale. It is essential to leave as much large diameter deadwoodin situaspossible, but relocation of detached limbs to nearby woodland is probably themost pragmatic option in highly formal settings such as gardens and vistas. (Boddy et al. 2011)

Ecological research is urgently needed to study the population structure of the species. From a conservation status assessment standpoint, it would be particularly useful to know the average number of genetically and spatially distinct individuals (genets and ramets) that occur within an occupied tree. The mechanism(s) whereby Hericium basidiospores colonise and become established in standing trees is clearly a research priority. It would be valuable to determine how frequently and under what conditions the latent propagules detected by PCR within sapwood are able to establish as overt
decay columns, and to understand how these fungi initiate colonisation via basidiospores.(Boddy et al. 2011)

Boddy, Lynne, Crockatt, Martha E. and Ainsworth, A. Martyn 2011. Ecology of Hericium cirrhatum, H. coralloides and H. erinaceus in the UK. Fungal Ecology 4: 163-173.
K. A. Harrison (1984) Creolophus in North America, Mycologia, 76:6, 1121-1123, DOI: 10.1080/00275514.1984.12023960
Koski-Kotiranta, Sari & Niemelä, Tuomo, 1987: Hydnaceous fungi of the Hericiaceae, Auriscalpiaceae and Climacodontaceae in northwestern Europe. Karstenia, 27(2):43-70.