Much of the historical commodity production on public and private forest lands has 

 been timber, mining, and livestock grazing. Various other resources also are pro- 

 duced on these lands, including water, wildlife, Christmas trees, scenery, fuel wood, 

 and mushrooms. These resources benefit the U.S. public and private land owners. 

 Other "special products" continue to become increasingly important, especially when 

 their production and use can be done on a sustained and ecologically sound basis. 



Although documented mushroom use in the Blue Mountains is sketchy, it likely has a 

 long history. Across North America, Native Americans used various fungus fruiting 

 bodies (mushrooms, conks, etc.) for food, medicine, and culture (Hobbs 1995). Use 

 differs by location and tribe. Knowledge of fungi was passed from generation to 

 generation in chains of oral tradition. Much of the information, ancient expertise, and 

 wisdom of these cultures has disappeared. Burke (1983) reported that the Indians of 

 the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia were apt to be suspicious of mushrooms 

 and considered them best used for medicine rather than food. Clark (1977), however, 

 reported that Indians in northern California did collect morels for food. Native 

 Americans in the Blue Mountains likely used fungi for food and medicine. 



Today, mushroom gathering has become a major activity in the forests of northeast- 

 ern Oregon and southeastern Washington, both as a recreational pursuit and as a 

 major commercial enterprise. Morel mushrooms, currently account for most of the 

 recreational and commercial harvests. Another significant species is the king bolete 

 (Boletus edulis). Several other edible mushrooms in the Blue Mountains are collected 

 by knowledgeable individuals, and a limited market exists for some of them. 



At least 23 mushroom species found in the Blue Mountains have some commercial 

 value. ^ By far, most of the mushroom harvest are the morels that fruit in late spring 

 and early summer and to a much lesser extent, the boletes. The valuable American 

 matsutake mushroom (T'r/c/io/oma magnivelare), well known along the coast, on the 

 slopes of the Cascade Range, and in Idaho, does not fruit in commercial quantities in 

 the Blue Mountains. 



Mushrooms in Although increasing interest in natural food products, and gourmet and ethnic cuisine, 



Western Culture has recently contributed to wild mushroom popularity, interest and knowledge of fungi 



as a forest resource has been slow to develop in American culture. In the mushroom- 

 loving societies of Japan, China, northern and continental Europe, and Russia, 

 mushrooms have long been culturally important, particularly valued for their wide- 

 ranging uses as food and medicine. 



Early immigrants to the United States from Asia and Europe, brought with them their 

 tradition of collecting forest fungi. The traditions of these immigrants have continued 

 and are now the basis for much of the current recreational mushroom gathering. Con- 

 temporary immigrants, especially from Asia, bring with them cultures that include 

 substantial reliance on wild mushrooms as food. Many commercial pickers are recent 

 immigrants from Southeast Asia and Latin America. Picking mushrooms, often in 

 family groups, generates a source of income for people who often are unable to se- 

 cure traditional mainstream employment. 



' Personal communication. 1996. Floyd Reese, owner, 

 North West Mushroom Co. Inc. P.O. Box 2997, La Grande, 

 OR 97850. 



