Cultivation of shiitake mushrooms as an agroforestry crop in the Northeast

Abstract: Forest farming of shiitake mushrooms diversifies available farm income for small farmers. These mushrooms grow on logs acquired through sustainable woodland management, producing crops after one year. Our research offered essential hands-on skills to farmers in Northeastern USA on growing, harvesting and marketing shiitakes on their own woodland. As a result, over 20 farmers have developed a sustainable forest management plan, felling suitable trees for inoculating with a projected harvest of 400 to 500 pounds of shiitakes after 5 years.

Woodlot owners involved are from VT/NY/MA/ME/NH/NJ/PA/WV/NH.

Research objectives:  (1) the indicators and attributes for profitable shiitake enterprise, (2) the most productive species and means of growing shiitakes in northeastern forests.  Participants inoculated 660 Acer saccharum, 480 Quercus rubra, 400 Fagus granifolia, 180 Carpinus caroliniana, and 140 Quercus alba bolts. In total more than 2,400 bolts were inoculated with shiitake spawn in 2011