Mushroom Picking: What makes a Good Harvest?
A Few General Rules to Follow
Pickers may be required to obtain either a "recreational use" permit or a "commercial use" permit. To find out exactly what you need -- and to get an update on local conditions, contact the agency office nearest the area where you'd like to harvest. Be aware: You're required to know the regulations affecting the area where you pick. We can assist you with that.
- There are areas where mushroom picking is not allowed, such as in designated wildernesses and research natural areas. Picking may be allowed on private lands -- but get permission first to prevent ill will! Know where picking is allowed. We can help you figure it out.
- While camping is generally allowed on most public land, commercial pickers may need an "industrial camping permit," and may not be allowed to camp in developed campgrounds.
- When camping and picking in undeveloped sites, maintain the natural beauty of the forest, and protect water sources. Leave the area you use "cleaner than you found it!" As for human wastes, bury them at least 100 feet away from streams, trails, and roads.
- Campfires may be restricted during periods of high fire danger. When they are permitted, ensure they are completely extinguished prior to leaving camp. Never leave your campfire unattended!
- Some public agencies have closed roads to protect wildlife, sensitive land resources, provide for public safety and reduce user conflicts. Motorized vehicles are not allowed on closed roads, though people are. Road closures help us maintain the healthy forest that supplies delicious mushrooms -- and other forest products. Please support our efforts!
Fungi (or mushrooms) are a vital part of ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. They provide a wide range of benefits for all. Please do your part in taking care of this valuable natural resource by respecting the land and all forest visitors.
What Makes a Smart Picker?
1. Know where mushrooms grow.
Forest ecosystems provide a diversity of plant, animal, and fungal species. The mushrooms we love to pick -- along with other fungi -- play many roles in these ecosystems, and are a vital part of a healthy forest. The increased demand for mushrooms brings with it an increased need to be considerate of the land, as well as of other pickers, when we harvest mushrooms.
2. Know how to harvest with care.
Improper techniques, such as raking, can damage mushrooms by breaking caps and stems. It can also damage mushroom habitat. Mushrooms damaged by improper harvesting or storage have little or no commercial value.
Know the mushroom before you pick it! Remember, not all mushrooms are edible, and some are poisonous. There are many guidebooks available at bookstores, local libraries, and county extension offices to assist you with mushroom identification.
When locating mushrooms for harvest, distrub the ground as little as possible.
3. Know good harvesting techniques.
Depending upon the type of mushroom, there are three methods a picker should use to minimize resource damage during harvest:
- Grasp the mushroom at its base and gently rock and twist until it comes loose.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the mushroom off at ground level.
- Insert a narrow object like a stick or knife under the base while prying straight up and out of the ground. This method "pops" the mushroom out without disturbing the surrounding area or damaging the mushroom.
Remember to restore disturbed areas resulting from picking. This protects the underground portions of the fungi, which produce the mushrooms. Mushrooms will return most every year if we harvest carefully -- and the weather cooperates.
What Makes Mushrooms Thrive?
Mushrooms are organisms known as fungi. Unlike green plants, fungi cannot use sunlight to make food, but use other living organisms or dead organic matter for food and moisture. That is why it is important to return the forest floor to a condition similar to what existed prior to harvest.
The mushroom is the fruiting part of the fungus, which produces millions of tiny spores that are spread by wind. Like a seed, spores germinate and grow when conditions are right ... so leaving older mushrooms that are starting to decay will provide the spores needed to grow future crops.
Some mushrooms recveive their noureshment from living roots of nearby trees.
Beneath the forest floor is a vast network of interwoven fungal threads collectively called mycelium (my-SEE-lee-um), which surround and penetrate tree roots. The fungus aids the tree in obtaining food and water, and protects the tree from disease-causing organisms. In turn, the fungus obtains food it cannot manufacture itself. Trees and mushrooms rely on each other for survival.
Other mushrooms receive their nourishment from decomposing logs, stumps, and other material that is found on the forest floor. This recycling process provides for soil productivity and creates habitat for numerous small animals.
Text from "Mushroom Picking...What makes a good harvest?" brochure by USDA, USFS, US Dept. of Interior, BLM.
