USDA Forest Service General Technical Reports
These are free publications of the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service on the subject of fungi and their relationship to the forest ecosystem and the people who interact with it. Several different documents are currently available. We will add to this list as more General Technical Reports become available. To receive these documents, please contact:
Pacific Northwest Research Station
333 S.W. 1st Avenue
PO Box 3890
Portland, OR 97208-3890
These publications are also available online. Links are provided at the end of each description below.
Ecology and Management
of the Commercially Harvested
American Matsutake Mushroom
This is possibly the best English-language treatise on the coveted American Matsutake mushroom (Tricholoma magnivelare). Written by professor of Biological Science David Hosford, botanist David Pilz, research botanist Randy Molina and research ecologist Michael Amaranthus, this document is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format free of charge from the United States Department of Agriculture. Click here to view/download the document.
The Importance and Conservation
of Ectomycorrhizal Fungal Diversity
In Forest Ecosystems: Lessons from
Europe and the Pacific Northwest
Written by research ecologist Michael Amaranthus, this 15 page, 8.5 x 11" booklet describes the benefits the approximately 5,000 species of ectomycorrhizal fungi offer to the forest ecosystem, and the threat presented to these fungi from pollution, destruction of habitat and overharvesting of certain highly prized species. This document is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format free of charge from the United States Department of Agriculture. Click here to view/download the document.
Wild Edible Mushrooms
in the Blue Mountains:
Resource and Issues
The Blue Mountains Region of the Pacific Northwest (spanning from Northeastern Oregon into Southeastern Washington) has long been utilized by local residents as a site for recreational gathering of wild mushrooms. In the last few years, however, there has been a dramatic upswing in the commercial harvesting of mushrooms in the Blue Mountains. This 22 page 8.5 x 11" booklet, written by research plant pathologist Catherine G. Parks and Blue Mountains Pest Management Zone Pathologist Craig L. Schmitt, addresses the history, biology, regulation and concerns related to mushroom harvesting in the region. This document is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format free of charge from the United States Department of Agriculture. Click here to view/download the document.
Biology, Ecology and Social Aspects
of Wild Edible Mushrooms in the
Forests of the Pacific Northwest: a
Preface to Managing Commercial Harvest
This is a slightly older document, published in February 1993. However, it is still a good resource for those concerned with commercial harvest of wild forest fungi. This document features descriptions of 12 different forest species and includes recreational and social aspects of fungi, commercial production reports, and a bibliography of related reading. Written by research botanist Randy Molina, Washington State University research associate Thomas O'Dell, Oregon State University research associate Daniel Luoma, research ecologist Michael Amaranthus, research forester Michael Castellano and pathologist Kenelm Russell. 8.5 x 11" booklet , 42 pages. This document is available for download in Adobe Acrobat format free of charge from the United States Department of Agriculture. Click here to view/download the document.