The availability and supply of marketed mushrooms in Eastern Finland

Abstract

The use of marketed mushrooms is predicted to increase worldwide. Currently, the marketed mushroom yields in Finland remain largely unutilized, and forest management mainly aims at timber production. In this thesis, the availability and limitations of the raw material procurement and market supply of marketed mushrooms in Eastern Finland were studied. Empirical yield models were formulated for the most marketed species in spruce stands: cep (Boletus edulis), milk cap (Lactarius spp.) and all marketed mushrooms. Optimal stand management was defined for the joint production of timber and mushrooms. The socially acceptable limits for mushroom picking on private land were investigated through a forest owner survey, and the supply of marketed mushrooms was modeled to study which factors affect the marketed quantities of mushrooms in Eastern Finland. The results suggest that the Eastern Finnish spruce stands produced their highest mushroom yields right before the first commercial thinning, and precipitation during the yield season promoted the yields. The production of timber and marketed mushrooms was largely in synergy, and if mushrooms are picked for sale, the total soil expectation value (SEV) in good mushroom stands can be remarkable. The forest owners in Eastern Finland expressed some restriction needs for organized commercial picking, but they were otherwise content with the everyman's rights regarding mushroom picking. The supply of marketed mushrooms was affected by biological and economic factors; precipitation had a positive influence on cep and milk cap supplies and market price negatively impacted the supplies of ceps and chanterelles. The results contribute to a more stable and sustainable raw material supply to the mushroom supply chains by providing novel information on the supply of marketed mushrooms and limits of socially acceptable mushroom picking and by developing concrete tools to integrate mushroom production into forest management planning and to plan for mushroom picking.