Is it responsible to go mushroom picking?

[Jolanta Zofia Nowak]

I am a total novice as far as 'mushrooming' is concerned and am wondering, other considerations to one side, whether it's considered a 'green' practice or not by experts.

Are some species at risk and would I be adding to their rarity?

[Leif]

I'm sure FungiJohn must have pages on this somewhere ...

In some areas picking is forbidden, and in others such as the New Forest it is allowed for private consumption, with a reasonable limit on the quantity picked in one visit. Even then places such as the New Forest ban picking in certain areas for a limited time, apparently to allow fungi to recover. And of course on private land you need to ask permission.

Does picking cause damage? I have never seen any evidence that it does, though studies have been done. Once a fungus is mature, it has already spread a lot of spores. That said, I take the view that rare and uncommon fungi should be left, or only collected in small quantities for study (but not eating) when there are plenty about. Common fungi should be collected in moderation in my opinion. There is usually no need to clean out a place.

And in addition the main threat to fungi is not picking, but habitat loss, due for example to intensive farming, and loss of rare habitats such as unimproved grassland, and ancient woodland.

However, I do know sites where large numbers of people visit and pick anything vaguely edible. In one nationally important location I have seen idiots picking very rare fungi, examining them to see if they are edible, then discarding them as 'worthless'. So the ground ends up strewn with 'dead' fungi. What's worse, the wardens do nothing about it. (And yet I have difficulty getting a permit to do nothing more than take photos.)

[cybershot]

The British Mycological Society publishes a code of conduct in relation to these activities:

http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/files/Pickers_code.pdf

And the relevant passage in John Wrights book - River Cottage Handbook No.1: Mushrooms, gives an interesting insight and to all intents and purposes mirrors Leif's findings above.

David

[nightshade]

There are so many people interested in fungi that I personally feel they should only be photographed we humans are very selfish and inconsiderate
and could easily cause extinctions

[Fungus Ken]

Originally Posted by nightshade

There are so many people interested in fungi that I personally feel they should only be photographed we humans are very selfish and inconsiderate
and could easily cause extinctions

Unfortunately things are not so simple. Studying fungi often requires samples to be collected for detailed examination back "in the lab", including detailed examination of various characters under the microscope.

If we don't know what we have, we can't monitor change and take appropriate action to prevent losses. For example, management of woodland can have an impact on fungi so you need to be sure that your management is beneficial for fungal biodiversity. You can't do this without a thorough understanding of the ecology of the woodland, which includes being able to put names to the different species to monitor what is happening to them.

Actually, in this country there are relatively few people interested in fungi compared with some other countries in Europe and this is probably one of the reasons why we continue to lose important habitats - there aren't enough people who care enough to object to the loss of habitats important for fungi or to advocate better management of sites.

The main reason for the loss of fungi in this country, as Leif has rightly pointed out, is loss of habitat or damage to sensitive habitats, usually as a consequence of human activity - but not as you suggest through over-collection but rather from other factors. Insensitive development, removal of dead wood, excessive application fertiliser, inappropriate management or trampling of sensitive habitats are just a few examples. Climate change will be another important factor and its impacts will need to be monitored, which will include bringing back samples of fungi for study.

The less contact people have with fungi, the less they will appreciate their beauty or understand their fundamental importance to the majority of ecosystems.

The solution, as Leif has already indicated, is to allow responsible collecting rather than the irrational reaction to ban collecting altogether that has already happened in some places.


Ken

[FungiJohn]

Just to add to Ken and Leif's reply.

We always ask people on forays to try and leave a location has they found it.

Even putting the log you've turned over the right way back will help ... it's someone's home!

John

[Jolanta Zofia Nowak]

To ask a supplementary, how 'endangered' is the Saffron Milk(cap)?

I identified this last autumn and it seemed to be growing fairly commonly in this particular location. Nobody seemed to be picking it.

[NickCantle]

In my experience, and in a few others' that I know, Lactarius Deliciosus is pretty common. There are two rare similarities, Lactarius Salmonicolor and Lactarius quieticolor. Pretty much every site with short grass and Pine that I visit in season has Saffron Milk Caps present...

Nick

[Leif]

Yup, fairly common, and very good to eat. However Lactarius deterrimus is very similar, and less good to eat. One specimen I found was tasteless and woody.

[oxycera]

Conserving fungi helps to conserve fungus-gnats - surely this is the main point!!(??)