If you ’re look for a way to increase the gainfulness of your forestland — and log for timbre is n’t your thing — you might want to think of the idea of farming kingdom Fungi .
“ Mushrooms are the gateway toagroforestry , ” says Steve Gabriel , extension aide at the Cornell Cooperative Extension , who , along with his workfellow , has been studying shiitake cultivation as an agroforestry crop in New England . “ It ’s an easy entry point , as you’re able to inoculate a lot of logs for a low cost , but it ’s just the beginning of likely crops . ”
The exercise of forest - put up mushrooms is fair Modern in the U.S. , and one that bring a pretty penny at market . Research from Cornell University in 2012 show thatshiitakes harvest from outdoor inoculated logsearn about twice that of theirindoor counterparts , which are grown on semisynthetic materials in climate - moderate space . Participating husbandman in Cornell ’s shiitake - cultivation study receive $ 10 to $ 12 per pound wholesale and $ 12 to $ 16 per pound retail in the northeastern U.S. Currently , there ’s no true data on other mushroom , Gabriel says . That ’s because Lentinus edodes are the most reliably train mushroom , though Cornell also recommendsoyster(Pleurotus ostreatus ) , lion ’s mane ( Hericium spp . ) and winecap stropharia ( Stropharia rugoso - annulata ) for forest - grown success , and the denotation is work to find others .
But while it ’s easy to get pore on numbers and dollar sign star sign , an superimposed dogma of agroforestry is cast the health of the wood above your production goals . Gabriel offers these tip for growing your burgeoning mushroom cloud concern in a manner that leads to long - term timberland wellness :
1. Intentionally Site the Mushroom Yard
lay the inoculated mushroom logs in a position that avoids stream banks and delicate or unique species , which could be damage as a result .
2. Work Compactly
“ It ’s easy to unfold out in the wood , ” Gabriel says , “ but we ’re working to expend as little outer space as potential . ” By stacking and moving logs in way that increase output efficiency , you also minimise the impingement you have on the forest through densification .
3. Designate Walking Space
Siting your mushroom cloud in the back 40 intend your body and harvesting equipment have the potential to do major forest damage . Marking clear path that you always use when travel to and from the mushroom yard minimizes harm to the forest .
4. Leave the Waste
Allow forest debris and pass mushroom cloud log to remain in the wood to decompose . This not only nurtures wood biodiversity , it creates a natural habitat for mushroom .
In addition to cultivating mushrooms , some forest owners exercise wildcrafting , in which they reap wild - grown mushrooms . In this vitrine , Gabriel advocate only harvest home up to one - third of the patch so it can procreate . Farmers in the Czech Republic have even experimented with wild - mushroom cultivation by tie burlap sacks full of mushrooms in trees so the winding will flub around the spore and increase product , Gabriel read , but this is n’t necessarily a viable means of product .
“ The fungal domain is not a cause - and - core type of relationship , ” he says , noting that certain mushroom grow in extremely specific conditions . “ There are so many story of complication and mistaking of how they play . It ’s hard to secure you ’ll get any mushrooms unless you cultivate them yourself . ”
monition : Successfully growing and selling forest - maturate mushrooms could lead you to other agroforestry attempt , as Gabriel can manifest .
“ Now that I ’m in the woods acquire mushrooms , I keep asking myself what else I can spring up , ” he says . “ I keep bring other species as time and space allow . People should keep in judgement that [ mushrooms are ] just the origin . ”
