Growing Shiitake Mushrooms in an Agroforestry Practice

Editor's note
The following abstract describes a publication that is intended for print distribution or as a downloadable PDF. Please see links to the PDF file and ordering information on this page.

A case of shiitake mushrooms Cultivating shiitake mushrooms allows forest landowners an opportunity to utilize low-grade and small diameter trees thinned from their woodlots. When the mushrooms are harvested and marketed, the result is a short-term payback for long-term management of wooded areas. Shiitake mushroom cultivation requires a significant amount of shade, but not a significant amount of acreage, and therefore is an excellent opportunity for landowners with smaller acreages to utilize forested or shaded areas. In addition to making use of woodlots and forested acres, logs that have been inoculated for shiitake production (or "spent" logs) can be recycled compost or used as a fuel and heat source for winter mushroom production.

Shiitake mushrooms can be grown indoors or outdoors, usually on sugar maple or oak logs that have been specially cut and inoculated. When these logs are grown outdoors in a managed shade environment, a forest farming practice is utilized.

The practice of intentionally managing the light or shade levels in a forest to favor the production of certain plants is a key element of the agroforestry practice known as forest farming. Properly applied to the forest environment, the forest farming practice can enhance and diversify farm income opportunities, while at the same time making significant improvements to the composition and structure of the forest for long term improvements in overall stand health, quality and economic value. By developing an understanding of the interactions between the overstory trees and the understory environment, forest management activities can be used to create an understory capable of growing profitable shade-loving crops like shiitake mushrooms.

In this forest farming practice, shiitake are grown on logs under the shade of trees. Additional forest farming crops, like ginseng or ferns, can also be cultivated in the same setting.

Basic steps for shiitake production

There are several steps involved in shiitake production, and the process usually takes from 4 to 12 months (from inoculation to first fruiting):

Choose healthy trees and cut the logs, usually as part of a thinning process for a timber stand improvement, or utilizing top wood from a commercial harvest. Good hosts are hardwood species with long bark retention (sugar maple and white oaks are among the best). If you do not have access to forested areas, purchase logs from a public land management agency or a contract logger.
Purchase spawn from a reputable commercial vendor. High-quality spawn of known strains is well worth the price.
Inoculate the logs using a very high-speed drill to produce holes approximately 1 inch deep, separated by 6 inches in rows 2 inches apart and staggered to produce a diamond pattern. Using a spring-loaded thumb pressure inoculation tool, inject sawdust spawn into pre-drilled holes.
Cover the spawn in the log using a dauber dipped in smoking hot cheese wax.
Set logs aside in the shade for spawn run.
When logs begin to fruit well spontaneously (the following spring) they can be soaked or irrigated with water and a forcing routine can be established on a 10 week cycle.
Harvest mushrooms by twisting and pulling the stem off of the log. Cutting the stem will shorten the shelf-life by causing the mushroom to dry out through the cut stem. Leaving the stem in the woods will cause insect pest problems.

Keywords

Long term tree crops
Short term understory crops
Forested land
Healthier forest environment

Pages

AF1010, new December 2005