Modest crop of wild mushrooms this year

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Although rain usually portends a good autumn crop of wild mushrooms in Finnish forests, the season has been something of a disappointment so far.
      Warmth and dampness usually favour heavy growth of forest fungi, but they are not the only factors that affect mushroom growth.
      There are plenty of the prized yellow-orange chanterelles, which are experiencing the best crop in decades. Kauko Salo, a senior researcher at the Finnish Forest Research Institute, notes that while the chanterelle usually sticks to its familiar location, this year they have appeared in completely new habitats.
     
Last year’s bumper crop of boletus edulis, or cepe mushrooms is unlikely to be repeated for another century, and this year’s crop is expected to fall to less than half of last year's.
      Kauko Salo explains that in 2003 the mycelium of the boletus had an exceptional amount of energy stored in it after the previous year’s poor crop. The heavy rains last August prompted record growth of the prized mushrooms, depleting the stored energy reserves.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Mushroom pickers marvel at bumper crop of boletus (2.9.2003)

Helsingin Sanomat