Commercial harvests of edible mushrooms from the forests of the Pacific Northwest United States: issues, management, and monitoring for sustainability

Abstract

Widespread commercial harvesting of wild edible mushrooms from the forests of the Pacific Northwest United States (PNW-US) began 10–15 years ago. A large proportion of suitable forest habitat in this region is managed by the Forest Service (US Department of Agriculture) and Bureau of Land Management (US Department of the Interior). These lands are managed under an ecosystem management philosophy that entails multiple-use, sustainable forest product harvesting, resource monitoring, public participation in forest management issues, and holistic planning. Managing the harvest of edible mushrooms engages every aspect of this management philosophy. We examine a variety of issues raised by mushroom harvesting and how these issues interact with forest ecosystem management choices. We discuss regulations currently being used by managers to conserve the mushroom resource while further information is gathered, unique challenges and considerations inherent to sampling fungi, and current research and monitoring activities in the Pacific Northwest. Although current scientific evidence suggests that harvesting likely will not harm the resource in the short term, no statistically-based monitoring information exists about the cumulative impacts of intensive and widespread commercial harvesting over long-time periods. We outline a three pronged approach to long-term monitoring of the resource: (1) tracking harvest quantities in areas with intense commercial harvests; (2) sampling productivity in areas with no mushroom or timber harvests; and (3) conducting research to model the relations between forest management and mushroom productivity. Public participation and a broad collaboration among public land management agencies, private forest landowners, forest managers, researchers, and research organizations will make this approach cost effective and the results widely applicable.