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.

Modelling Non-Wood Forest Products in Europe: a review

“…In the model by Bonet et al (2010) elevation also strongly affects the predicted mushroom production. When elevation increases from the lowest (500 m) to the highest level (1,500 m) mushroom productivity increases by more than ten times.…”

“…The inclusion of mushroom yields as an explicit objective in forest management and planning requires models for assessing, in a quantitative way, the production of mushrooms in different forest stands and management schedules. Such models can be developed with statistical methods, using empirical data on mushroom production and forest stand characteristics (Bonet et al, 2008(Bonet et al, , 2010. Once predictive models are developed, they can be included in forest simulators to provide quantitative information on mushroom production and its economic effects in alternative forest management schedules (Palahí et al, 2009).…”

“…Empirical models for predicting the yield of wild mushrooms are presented in Bonet et al (2008) to predict the total, edible, marketed mushroom yield in P. sylvestris plantations in North-east of Spain and in Bonet et al (2010) to predict the mushroom yield in three species of pines (including plantations and natural forests) in North-East Spain. The model of Bonet et al (2008) where y ij is the mushroom production of plot i in year j, G is stand basal area (m 2 ha -1 ), Asp is aspect (radians), Slo is slope (%, i.e.…”

“…In addition, the model by Bonet et al (2010) predicts that the stand dominated by P. sylvestris produce higher (more than double) mushrooms yields than the ones dominated by P. nigra or P. halepensis. In addition, mushroom yields were greater in naturally regenerated P. sylvestris stands than planted P. sylvestris stands (Fig.…”

Growth and yield models in Spain: Historical overview, Contemporary Examples and perspectives

“…Models to estimate wild mushroom production in pine forests of different regions of Catalonia have recently been developed (Martínez de Aragón et al, 2007;Bonet et al, 2008Bonet et al, , 2010.…”