Modelling the production and species richness of wild mushrooms in pine forests of the Central Pyrenees in northeastern Spain

Abstract

Multiple-use forestry requires comprehensive planning to maximize the utilization and sustainability of many forest resources whose growth and productivity are interconnected. Forest fungi represent an economically important nonwood forest resource that provides food, medicine, and recreation worldwide. A vast majority of edible and marketed forest mushrooms belong to fungi that grow symbiotically with forest trees. To respond to the need for planning tools for multiple-use forestry, we developed empirical models for predicting the production of wild mushrooms in pine forests in the South-Central Pyrenees using forest stand and site characteristics as predictors. Mushroom production and species richness data from 45 plots were used. A mixed modelling technique was used to account for between-plot and between-year variation in the mushroom production data. The most significant stand structure variable for predicting mushroom yield was stand basal area. The stand basal area associated with maximum mushroom productivity (15–20 m2·ha–1) coincides with the peak of annual basal area increment in these pine forests. Other important predictors were slope, elevation, aspect, and autumn rainfall. The models are aimed at supporting forest management decisions and forecasting mushroom yields in forest planning.