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Summary Research on mycorrhizal symbiosis has been slowed by a lack of established study systems. To address this challenge, we have been developingSuillus, a widespread ecologically and economically relevant fungal genus primarily associated with the plant family Pinaceae, into a model system for studying ectomycorrhizal (ECM) associations. Over the last decade, we have compiled extensive genomic resources, culture libraries, a phenotype database, and protocols for manipulatingSuillusfungi with and without their tree partners. Our efforts have already resulted in a large number of publicly available genomes, transcriptomes, and respective annotations, as well as advances in our understanding of mycorrhizal partner specificity and host communication, fungal and plant nutrition, environmental adaptation, soil nutrient cycling, interspecific competition, and biological invasions. Here, we highlight the most significant recent findings enabled bySuillus, present a suite of protocols for working with the genus, and discuss howSuillusis emerging as an important model to elucidate the ecology and evolution of ECM interactions.