https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/home daily 1.0 2023-01-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/be2d0ab6-36a4-4f5c-8a76-3896f1e4dada/_6223003.jpeg https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/about-us daily 0.75 2024-11-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2e1beaa4-b81a-41d1-8cb7-fc0c422bc43a/IMG_1341.jpeg About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/6b1a2895-4e26-4233-8e21-5e87e608be09/139464262_254498296035810_7630738892351793942_n1.jpg About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/84a42bdf-f38f-42e7-b482-75fb6d4f6330/Screen+Shot+2024-03-27+at+1.43.45+PM.png About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/98b53d08-c9f1-4aed-a38d-64c50efc8265/IMG_1417_square-scaled.jpeg About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2e1beaa4-b81a-41d1-8cb7-fc0c422bc43a/IMG_1341.jpeg About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/6b1a2895-4e26-4233-8e21-5e87e608be09/139464262_254498296035810_7630738892351793942_n1.jpg About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/84a42bdf-f38f-42e7-b482-75fb6d4f6330/Screen+Shot+2024-03-27+at+1.43.45+PM.png About us https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/98b53d08-c9f1-4aed-a38d-64c50efc8265/IMG_1417_square-scaled.jpeg About us https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/fcm daily 0.75 2026-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f56a4a17-904c-4873-8cf1-34ade16150b2/_9155323.jpeg Forest-cultivated mushrooms - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/timber daily 0.75 2024-04-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2bfa13b2-367f-44f1-84e7-fbf6b4e42e88/IMG_4469.jpg Timber Figure 1. Trees can be notoriously difficult to identify in winter. Based on the bark alone, this garry oak could easily be mistaken for Oregon ash or bigleaf maple. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/df4fe0d9-12a4-44c5-9c6c-806e5e47cfe9/IMG_4315.jpg Timber Figure 2. Your timber must be living when it's cut. In winter, it is often difficult to tell if a standing tree might already be dead. If there is any question, break some small twigs on the tree to look for green color under the bark and for buds that appear to be alive, such as in this picture of red alder. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/96d7c4d9-4404-48b2-98e1-515693f1c042/IMG_4143.jpg Timber Figure 3. Be sure to your logs cut in an accessible location. If you need to transport your logs in a vehicle, that means close to a decent road. Having a helper to move your logs from the forest to a good road access point can be a major help, as the effort of moving logs any distance by hand can add up very quickly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/d61a8e96-d9b3-43b8-9553-189787015373/JPEG+image-D7BB37691AA0-1.jpeg Timber Figure 4. A box van can be a very useful option to transport logs/bolts from one site to another. They can accommodate a tall, heavy cargo load, keep your equipment out of the rain, and, importantly, eliminate the need for tarping to protect logs from drying during transport at highway speeds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/ae4c6be6-9090-4999-9fad-699b06b11550/_7317109.jpeg https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/membership daily 0.75 2024-11-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/911519e9-d440-48c6-b763-9f073bb3baa3/PNW+FMGN+logo+final+ALT.png https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/resources daily 0.75 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/edaaa6ed-8508-4fca-a225-5259719c5638/_6014660.jpeg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/6441295e-aa16-43f2-82ac-6916581fb0b3/_5052950.jpg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/e5b051d1-6ce1-4b74-8cac-714f908590d7/_5316298.jpeg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f58efb00-3d96-497f-9525-aac4fdf8d12e/_6236391.jpg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f0f669e1-0c44-4298-86f6-bd0763f47481/_A083593.jpg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/de7c12bd-ef9e-4e7c-8517-d955dd042a1c/IMG_2827.jpeg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/9f4011ed-5fec-497d-911f-c475cd4b2f6b/_6223009.jpg Resources https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/3a2b05d0-b78b-4fb8-87ae-15ce593916d1/IMG_3064.jpg Resources https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/timber-id-selection-tips-2 daily 0.75 2024-04-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/fbf0b868-7287-4556-9d30-2340bd00d95e/IMG_4292.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Red alder bark is characteristically smooth with few furrows, and gray-colored with light gray/whitish mottling. Suites of moss and lichens are common on the bark but less so than other PNW broadleaf species with furrowed bark. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/9834cea5-02cc-4486-9196-6c2feb24568f/IMG_4467.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips The bark of garry oak is light gray, with furrows that develop even from a young age. The bark is often laden with suites of moss and lichens. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1b9fdf6f-d125-4d02-beba-07e91bb15d11/IMG_8374.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Younger bigleaf maple bark showing greenish hues, before developing furrows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2809f74b-10ba-4123-a041-c577d081214a/IMG_8420.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Characteristic sweet cherry bark, darker charcoal/graphite gray, with horizontal lenticels and an absence of vertical furrows. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/421b78ae-6f06-4059-b9ba-5814c2c8cfcf/IMG_8393.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Typical white, smooth sheathing birch bark with horizontal lenticels, as shown here on gray birch (a non-native that may occur in the PNW as an escaped ornamental near urban/residential areas). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/a4398e6e-9be1-4260-ac11-8bb853e9820f/_5084199.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips A large garry oak in its more native open habitat illustrating the wavy growth pattern and large branching typical of this species. The openness of native PNW garry oak habitat was enhanced by periodic burning of understory vegetation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/3db5dacf-88e2-4a45-81d2-33e366c874e5/IMG_8272.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Bigleaf maple bark is most commonly gray with furrows, and is often laden with mosses. Bigleaf maple bark can develop brownish hues as it gets older. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/02d0ddc5-eedd-4f7a-a89a-4d565debde0c/IMG_4371+2.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips The variability in color of native PNW paper birch bark ranging from white to much darker colors can be seen on these logs. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/fc7f8ad7-703d-49dc-9c42-6dac80a990d1/IMG_8350.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Red alder silhouettes illustrating it's typical tall, thin, straight trunks, thin branches and catkins hanging from the ends of branches. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/8d7cd7da-c82f-40c0-ad11-e664640d7db4/IMG_4468.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Garry oaks growing in crowded stands such as this will grow straighter, which is favorable for shiitake bolts. Dense stands like this benefit from thinning, and can be a win-win for mushrooms growers needing straight oak bolts and land stewards doing oak habitat restoration. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/97977f69-a03e-4157-8683-22fc0aa303e9/IMG_5606+2.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Ample initial moisture content and sapwood, and robust sheathing bark in birch often leads to a fast spawn run, as can be seen here where shiitake mycelium is already beginning to show on the end of this paper birch bolt only ~2 months after inoculation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/18c37daf-0257-440e-b084-fa1f091d8efe/IMG_8431.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Typical vase-like growth pattern of bigleaf maple, with large arching branches, and trunks which will grow in a coppice like this (multiple trunks) if the main trunk is cut or damaged. Bigleaf maple will readily tolerate shading in mixed stands with conifers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/8b40d9bc-989c-42eb-83b4-dd7ff46238c2/_5052950.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Garry oak bolts showing the dense wood and thick, furrowed bark typical of this species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/ab0cf1d7-5886-42f3-9682-9ced3a7f3f92/IMG_8355.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Some of the prominent downsides of using bigleaf maple for shiitake bolts is illustrated here, with poor bark integrity allowing splitting on the log end as it dries, which hastens critical moisture loss from the bolt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/a124b079-61da-4594-b3ff-9b02b3fae7fd/IMG_8377+2.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Typical sweet cherry growth pattern, with a straight main trunk, and prominent opposite branching. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/8d9d7984-07bf-41d5-b0a0-2159e0d23c7a/IMG_8348.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Second-growth PNW forest showing a common scenario of thick stands of red alder as the dominant pioneer tree species. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1a5f3aeb-7043-458d-a612-ce5a79ee2341/_5241868.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Once cut, the exposed area of the wood and bark of red alder will soon thereafter develop a characteristic reddish/orange hue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/e90096bd-20a5-432b-a8c3-f3664857c7a7/IMG_8368.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Sweet cherry can grow in clusters within mixed stands, but tends to not dominate as much as alder. From a distance the growth resembles alder with straight trunks and long thin branches, but sweet cherry is more likely to develop larger diameter branches or forks in the main trunk. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/c3f098eb-2501-44b7-99b8-c188054fa34b/_8034317+%282%29.jpeg Timber ID & Selection Tips Although sweet cherry has many positive attributes as a shiitake bolt, yields tend to not be much larger from any one shiitake harvest than what can be seen on the bolt in the center of the image. Often cherry will regularly produce well-sized, good quality mushrooms, but in lower numbers. This may be partly due to it being very difficult for shiitake mushrooms to break through cherry bark except for where the inoculation holes are drilled. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/3d8f000d-bd38-4930-844d-50b9f9be9316/IMG_5430+2+%283%29+lo.jpg Timber ID & Selection Tips The fast spawn run that occurs on birch often in-turn leads to birch bolts being the first to fruit, as can be seen here where the bulk of shiitake fruiting is occurring on the birch logs compared to more spotty or absent fruiting on other species. Birch's outstanding bark integrity also helps retain critical amounts of water even in smaller than average diameter logs (<4") such as shown here, which are more vulnerable to excessive drying. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/basics daily 0.75 2024-11-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1710359472684-A0FX6R0NRXIUE42YAD4Q/IMG_5211.jpg Basics Figure 3. Vigorous mycelial growth of shiitake fungus on log ends. Mushrooms produced in forest-cultivated systems are all "white-rot" fungal species, which are associated with decomposition of non-living wood of broadleaf trees. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1710359515410-LEVIYAP7ALIW0ZORQUG4/IMG_7634.jpg Basics Figure 4. A cross section of an oak log that has been inoculated with shiitake fungus through inserting "spawn" (pre-inoculated sawdust or small wooden dowels) into a drilled hole penetrating into the log's sapwood. The light-colored sections illustrate where the fungus has grown laterally through the log from the inoculation point through the vascular system of the log and begun to decompose the wood. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2626553f-754b-4d32-b4fb-b45cc8f7b495/_8047582.jpeg Basics Figure 5. Crib stacks of shiitake bolts inside a hoophouse in Japan during the "spawn run" year. The spawn run is the time period between inoculation and the first harvest, while the fungus is colonizing the log. Spawn run is usually no less than 9 months but may be up to 2 years. In this hybrid system, the hoophouse is being used to try and hasten spawn run. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/058dcbeb-0334-4b88-ad40-87c918f14a24/_8017303.jpeg Basics Figure 6. Shiitake bolts set up for harvest in an "A-frame" pattern in a hybrid indoor/outdoor system in Japan using shade structures rather than forest canopy. These hybrid systems are used partly to allow for some production season extension but also for added quality control. Shiitakes being produced for fresh market in Japan are often fruited in shaded indoor structures for this reason. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1a34639e-f34a-42da-8b45-2b7bd1d4bf29/_7317175.jpeg Basics - Make it stand out Figure 1. Shiitake “bolts” in a forest-cultivated production system in Japan. Most of the shiitakes that are grown under open forest canopy in this manner in Japan are intended for dried shiitake markets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/a083a387-fc38-4450-a692-62aa77fdbdde/_B163903.jpg Basics - Make it stand out Figure 2. Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus species) being produced from a “totem” under forest canopy. Production of mushrooms using totems is largely limited to small scale-production in eastern North America. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/inoculation daily 0.75 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/e379cb73-b5e7-4f4b-940d-9e0f15dc4dde/image-asset.jpg Inoculation - Make it stand out Figure 1: A simple inoculation station setup emphasizing easy access to logs and a circular workflow intended to keep bottlenecks and traffic jams to a minimum. If more than one worker is present, a setup like this should keep each worker busy without running into one another (or someone accidentally getting hit with a log end). If your setup is reasonably efficient, one person should be able to inoculate one log every ~15 minutes, on average. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/97d74e32-6941-42b1-a37c-1a6f1fab93c0/IMG_4118.jpeg Inoculation - Make it stand out Figure 2. A simple sawbuck like this can be easily and cheaply built. This one was built from pallet wood. Materials for a simple sawbuck like this include: 2x 36”-long 2 x 4” lumber (horizontal supports) 4x 28”-long 2 x 4” lumber (legs) 1x 48”-long 1 x 2” (for drilling guide; a PVC pipe is shown in the picture for this) 16x 2.5”-inch wood screws (legs, horizontal supports) 2x 1.75”-inch wood screws (fastening drilling guide) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/77d35536-cb50-40cb-b99b-d953ab15dc4c/_5291883.jpeg Inoculation - Make it stand out Figure 3. You can make patterns such as this laminated one to stick on the end of your logs while drilling to help you know what the right spacing is between rows for a given inoculation rate, and how many rows can fit on a given log size. The pattern is pinned in to the center of the log, and a second push pin is put off to the side to keep the pattern from spinning as the log is turned. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/96c1a3a2-e4bf-4aec-b157-e5ef696ec043/_5316299.jpg Inoculation - Make it stand out Figure 4. A shiitake bolt with holes drilled into the sapwood ready for inoculation, along with a palm-style inoculation tool, and optional spawn tray made out of a gutter and two gutter end caps. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/b2d1c024-9078-47bd-9f1a-0b6adf03dcef/Shiitake+Waxing+phenomena.jpg Inoculation - Make it stand out Figure 5. Some nuances of plugging spawn and waxing. An ideal spawn plug is (A) slightly recessed down to where the bark layer meets the wood, allowing for (B) a small reservoir for the wax to fit in without protruding much beyond the surface of the log. A plug that is (D) closer to being flush with the log’s surface allows less space for the wax plug, leading to (E) a protruding plug that is vulnerable to getting scraped off when the logs are being handled. The melted wax also does not always flow as anticipated, and air trapped beneath can bubble through and cause gaps in the wax plug (C, F); to help avoid this, position the inoculation holes straight up and down (perpendicular to the table) while waxing so that the wax flows directly downward into the hole, rather than at an angle. Wood/bark flaps left over by the drill (C) can interfere with both inoculating and waxing, and may be somewhat remedied by sharpening the drill bit to cut a cleaner hole. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/strains daily 0.75 2024-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/577ec309-dbcc-456d-a118-0e65341661fe/_6236390+%283%29.jpg Strains - Make it stand out Figure 1. Strain not only strongly influences the productivity of mushrooms, but also the aesthetic appearance and quality of the mushrooms produced. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/cc08dda8-c2f1-4394-a6f7-b1dd48ac323a/Screen+Shot+2024-09-13+at+9.25.36+AM.png Strains - Make it stand out Table 1. The generalized fruiting seasonality of the three different shiitake strain types. Green-colored bands indicate the seasonality spontaneous fruiting (i.e. no forced fruiting) while blue-colored bands indicate the seasonality of forced fruitings. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/13088b1e-8d21-4b88-8969-9f3623fd1a68/IMG_6852.jpg Strains - Make it stand out Figure 2. Wide-range and warm-weather strains both respond to forced fruiting that is initiated by immersing shiitake bolts in water for up to 24 hours. Forced fruiting can be game-changing for reliable harvests, quality control and bolt moisture maintenance. This warm-weather strain ‘Night velvet’ also has a distinctive aesthetic quality that some markets may value, especially more traditional Asian markets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/b8314668-6f52-4d31-890f-fbcb9ad700f6/Cool+weather+strain+downsides+figure.jpg Strains - Make it stand out Figure 3. Some of the major downsides of using cold-weather strains in the PNW relate to quality control. Fruiting is sporadic, so it is easy to miss, and often lacks uniformity as shown in (A) where one mushroom is clearly overripe, and another is clearly underripe. Fruiting of cold-weather strains also often occurs during the rainy season (B), which would necessitate a coordinated effort to avert the quality degradation that occurs from from rain on mushrooms. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/site daily 0.75 2024-09-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/ba46957c-9710-40d0-bdf2-1a906532a505/IMG_5620+%281%29.jpeg Site - Make it stand out Figure 1. An example of a PNW forest-cultivated shiitake production site, or “laying yard” (in Japan this is termed a “hodaba”). The laying yard prioritizes protection from sun and wind, and accommodates space for 1) bolts that are “resting” during spawn run and between fruitings (foreground left), 2) tanks for soaking bolts for forced-fruiting (foreground right), and 3) A-frame supports used for bolts being fruited and harvested (rear left-center under the canopy cover). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2147c93a-0181-4bae-9eb0-b36be96a9ab6/Laying+yard+elements.jpg Site - Make it stand out Figure 2. The image shows some desirable elements for a laying yard (A). The laying yard (A) is nestled within the forest, protected from southern sun exposure by a north facing hill and coniferous trees (B) along the southern edge of the laying yard. Vegetation surrounds the laying yard protecting it from wind. Directly overhead within the the laying yard, there is a full canopy of deciduous trees that will shed their leaves in fall and allow more winter rains to reach the bolts than if they were under coniferous trees. A wet area is near to the laying yard (C), providing a microclimate of elevated relative humidity (and possibly a water source). The laying yard also has good, uncompromised all-season access to it (D), especially for of getting bolts to the laying yard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1c23dc8f-a619-492c-b58c-79874e4947dc/IMG_5612.jpeg Site - Make it stand out Figure 3. Crib stacks like this are commonly used when bolts are being “rested” during spawn run and when bolts are otherwise not set up in an A-frame formation for harvest. Stacks can be kept as closely together as possible to help with bolt moisture retention. Keeping every two stacks completely adjacent and then spacing 18-24” between every two stacks (as shown) works toward this end and also allows you to logistically access bolts and move through the yaying yard. In Japan another bolt “resting” formation is used (sometimes referred to as the hillside stacking method) is for aeration in humid conditions, but is unnecessary in the PNW due to our summers being far less humid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/8692b570-fe7b-4e01-8020-07b0b6f2a5ed/IMG_5207.jpeg Site - Make it stand out Figure 4. The A-frame area of the laying yard is not used until after during the initial spawn run year is complete. After then, it is only used during the fruiting and harvest periods ( typically a period ~5-14 days, 3x per year). The bolts are positioned on either side of the central A-frame support beam immediately after soaking for forced-fruiting so that mushrooms can grow freely from all sides of the bolts without being squished between the bolts, and for ease of harvest. The fabric shown below and alongside either side of the A-frame is part of a “fruiting tent”, an important production adaptation for the PNW that is discussed in more detail the “Harvest” webpage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/b125056a-98ba-4e5a-8d8e-8e0c6500e0ae/Laying+yard+schematic+1.png Site - Make it stand out Figure 5. An example of an idealized laying yard setup for 100 shiitake bolts that all can be soaked in one day. This setup can easily be halved in size or multiplied in accordance with how many bolts you have. The number of soaking tanks can also be halved if you are willing to soak half the bolts on one day, and the other half the next day. The arrangements of each may need to be modified according to restrictions at your site such as trees, topography, or areas lacking sufficient shade or protection from wind. Whenever possible, leave as much vegetation in place as you can in the laying yard, especially if it is providing shade or protecting your bolts from wind; consider tying off branches temporarily when you’re working in the laying yard that are otherwise in the way but providing shade or wind reduction. The presence of vegetation also can help keep the relative humidity slightly elevated in your laying yard. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/management daily 0.75 2025-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/41381674-85b4-448d-9ff3-27e4dab8f3a5/IMG_5782.jpeg Management - Make it stand out Figure 1. Besides management centered around shiitake harvests, most forest-cultivated shiitake production system management centers around protecting bolts from excessive moisture loss during dry PNW summer weather. The image shows bolts exhibiting vigorous spawn run on the bottom layer of the crib stack pictured. IThe image also shows one of two major management adaptations deveoped for these systems in the PNW- covering crib stacks throughout the summer months with spun polyester cloth. This helps moderate humidity and reduces airflow through the stacks which could otherwise lead to moisture to migrating out of the bolts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/0d413985-c6f9-4068-a145-149ba8aa52f1/PNWFCM+Table+1+website+wood+species+moisture+content.jpg Management - Make it stand out Table 1. Bolt wood species moisture considerations for spawn run based on WSU Extension research to date. Spawn run periods closer to the earlier end of the ranges shown are acheivable when bolts are managed appropriately for moisture conservation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/68ecc94b-1082-4439-8c68-6357bfe36b2e/IMG_9502.jpg Management - Make it stand out Figure 2. Cascara/buckthorn is a PNW native wood that has a good initial moisture content, but suffers consideably from two major downsides, 1) a significant proportion of heartwood (the central area where no shiitake mycelieum is apparent) 2) a high propensity for end-splitting, and 3) very poor bark integrity (note the thinness, peeling, and lateral splitting). This is a species that is ultimately a poor substrate choice for shiitake because it is very difficult to manage bolt moisture content well enough to support shiitake spawn run and the longer-term term viability of the bolt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/de7c12bd-ef9e-4e7c-8517-d955dd042a1c/IMG_2827.jpeg Management - Make it stand out Figure 3. Because temperatures (70-80°F) are optimal for spawn run, it is important that the shiitake fungus has access to the moisture it needs at the time it can grow most rapidly. An immersive soak during the spawn run year provides good assurance that any water used to try and keep your bolts’ moisture levels optimal actually has a chance to penetrate through the bark and into the wood. This method of irrigation is not commonly used during the spawn run year in other regions, but is most likely to be effective in assuring a good spawn run in the PNW. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/abd753cb-ea0e-4381-aded-5938069223e0/IMG_1366.jpg Management - Make it stand out Figure 4. Immediately after soaking your bolts for spawn run moisture recharge and putting them into crib stacks in late spring/early summer, the stacks are covered until the covers are removed in fall. Thereafter, anytime the bolts are in crib stacks during the summer months, covering helps prevent moisture loss from the bolts. The picture shows two adjacent crib stacks in a laying yard (such as shown in Figure 4 on the “Site” page) covered with a 14 x 16’ spun polyester fabric that is breathable and reflects 50% of any sunlight that might get through the forest canopy and onto the bolts. This size of fabric cover can also perform double-duty in making “fruting tents” the following year during Harvest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/cc2baa20-965e-43ca-97a5-d54908a59fcb/Soaked+vs+non+soaked+shiitake+mycelium+and+long+term+FX.jpg Management - Make it stand out Figure 5. The short and longer-term effects of bolt moisture management are apparent in these images. In the two left images shiitake mycelium can be seen growing on the ends of bolts in of two adjacent crib stacks in fall of the spawn run year, the upper left image showing bolts that lacked soaking or covering during the spawn run year, and the lower left image showing bolts that were soaked and covered throughout summer of the spawn run year (lower left). In the longer term, even brittle-barked bolt species like red alder can have a long shiitake production life if managed (and handled) well. Image A shows a 6-year old red alder bolt (5th year of production) that has been managed well with a good laying yard site, soaking in the spawn run year (and 3x annually thereafter for forced fruiting), and was always covered thoughout the summer months. Image B shows a 3-year old red alder bolt that’s had no soaking, covering, and was sited in a laying yard that had less protection from wind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/916e1473-c084-4de4-91cc-ae32c85df526/Animal+damage+to+shiitake+bolts.jpg Management - Make it stand out Figure 6. Animals are the most overt, and impactful PNW laying yard pests that have been observed to date. Rodents can do extensive damage to shiitake bark (A) and are likely the most impactful type of animal pest. Once bark is removed by rodents, mushrooms are unlikely to grow from those areas (B, see damaged area outlined in yellow). In addition to rodents, birds can be damaging to bolts as well, as they will peck out spawn and peel back bark surrounding spawn holes. In contrast, wood-boring insect pest damage appears to be fairly innocuous to bolt viabilty. Coyotes have been obsered to damage laying yard water lines, but not bolts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/d56657cb-e248-44c8-81c2-9aafd10de3d7/Common+feral+fungi+shiitake+laying+yard.jpg Management - Make it stand out Figure 7. A diverse array of feral fungi that have appeared on shiitake bolts in the PNW, though most are expected to be inconsequential. Trametes fungi (“turkey tail”) have been the most concerning (A-C) as a competitive fungi, although it has only been problematic in cases where 1) the bolt appeared to already be pre-infested (before shiitake innoculation such as shown in A and B where the branch stub appeared to be the source of the infection, and 2) where shiitake spawn run was very slow and/or compromised by extenuating dry conditions, as shown in image C where Trametes is growing out of each inoculation hole. These bolts are significantly compromised and warrant culling. Trichoderma fungi (“green mold”) are also known to compete with shiitake and are common in the PNW such as shown in image D, where it is growing directly on shiitake mycelium. Any effect of Trichoderma on shiitake yield has not been quantified, although it has not appeared to cause bolts to stop producing altogether. Images E-H show other feral fungi that have appeared on bolts which have been incidental and/or not appeared to affect shiitake yield. The fungus shown in image G appears to commonly occur on garry oak bark, even while the tree is still living. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/harvest daily 0.75 2024-12-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/1ccdf664-f594-45c8-ab13-d759f27b81fe/Good+shiitake+spawn+run+signs.jpg Harvest - Make it stand out Figure 1. Signs that your bolts are readying to be force fruited for the first time include (A) evidence of robust mycelial growth on the ends of bolts (especially on birches and common hazel), (B) mycelium pushing wax out of the inoculation holes, and (C) incidental, spontaneous fruiting of a few shiitake mushrooms in winter or spring of the spawn run year. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/bd89cbf9-6ed0-4ad9-8436-d01a6bfd717d/Soaking+shiitake+bolts.jpg Harvest - Make it stand out Figure 2. Once spawn run is complete, soaking your bolts in cold water for ~24 hours incites a “forced fruiting” of shiitake mushrooms that will lead to your first harvest, and each harvest thereafter. Tanks are filled with bolts before filling with water; image (A) shows how bolts can be arranged in a tank to maximize the number of bolts that can fit in using the tank ends to accommodate bends, nubs etc. in the bolts. As shown in image (B), any fabric being used for fruiting tents is soaked along with your bolts if the fabric has been sitting outdoors in order to purge any bugs that may be on/in it. With any tanks that are only partially full of bolts, you can wedge something between the bolts and the cross boards under the lip of the tank so that you don’t have to fill the entire tank such as shown in image (C). Otherwise tanks are filled completely to the brim such as shown in image (D), with straps used to keep the cross-boards securely held under the tank lip. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/a0306f30-70dc-46d5-afb9-d59d69555760/A+frame+and+fruiting+tent+setup+alt.jpg Harvest - Make it stand out Figure 3. The A-frame rack and fruiting tent are used for fruiting and harvest. Image (A) shows a basic 10’ A-frame rack with cross-boards fastened every 2.5’. Image B shows how the floor of the fruiting tent is laid out underneath the rack before bolts are put into the A-frame formation. Image (C) and (D) shows bolts positioned securely along the rack but with minimal contact with each other and enough space between them to allow for mushroom growth. Image (E) shows an alternative rack design where 7” square boards are consecutively attached diagonally instead of cross boards; this design keeps bolts more securely in place, provides space for more bolts, and makes spacing bolts apart easier. Image (B), (F), and (G) illustrate how the fruiting tent is situated to completely envelop the A-frame rack and bolts to exclude pests and protect mushroom hydration. A 14 x 16’ piece of fabric is used to assure that there is ample fabric to make a secure rolled seam along the top and ends of a 10’ rack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/6192f5a8-3db3-491e-a11a-f5375d7a40fe/IMG_5807.jpg Harvest - Make it stand out Figure 4. The image shows a 10 x 20’ carport-style canopy that has been situated to serve double-duty as a windscreen protecting fruiting mushrooms from excessive drying during windy summer weather (despite some limited protection from the fruiting tents alone). The legs on one side of this type of canopy can be easily be removed on the dominant windward side to drop the canopy roof down to ground level. The tent legs can then be re-inserted to serve as a rain cover during fruiting and harvest in spring and fall when the chance of mushroom quality loss from rain is typically greater. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/82cde6ad-ca12-474f-ab39-2b38d444fcf1/Untitled+%2811%29.png Harvest Figure 5. Images within the figure depict four stages of mushroom harvest ripeness: (A) early waxing stage, underripe– this mushroom’s cap is starting to size up, but the veil beneath the cap has not yet opened to expose the gills and still can grow considerably larger before starting to wane; (B) mostly late-waxing/early-full ripeness with gills showing beneath thick, curled under caps, but also some still underripe with the veil remaining closed; (C) early waning/late-stage full ripeness– most mushroom cap edges are sill facing downward and curled slightly under but the caps are thinning/flattening with edges on the precipice of beginning to turn outward and upward; (D) late waning stage, becoming overripe– the mushroom caps have flattened, thinned, with the edges largely starting to turn outward and upward. The (very) general relationship between stem and cap size is somewhat apparent in image (B), illustrating why the mushroom depicted in image (A) would be expected to size-up considerably more based on the relatively large stem size while still in the early-waxing, yet underripe stage. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f2802b3d-3a02-44a3-b69a-77070187a1ee/Non+marketable+shiitake+figure.jpg Harvest - Make it stand out Figure 6. Three examples of shiitake commonly considered to be non-marketable are shown in the images. These include (A) an overly desiccated shiitake mushroom resulting from excessive exposure to winds during warm weather, (B) a completely waned, over-ripe shiitake that has sporulated (dropped spores), and (C) a shiitake that has had spores deposited in top of it from another sporulating shiitake growing above it. Note the shiny, thin layer of “slime” on image (C) that has resulted from the spores combining with moisture emitted from the mushroom cap. A short video of shiitake mushrooms sporulating is on the Fruiting & Harvest Gallery page. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/post-harvest daily 0.75 2025-01-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f04e6ed2-2be1-47dd-9571-c570611b69a1/Post+harvest+shiitake+Figure+1.jpg Post-harvest - Make it stand out Figure 1. The images illustrate varying shiitake quality from different harvests and post-harvest conditions. Image (A) shows high-moisture, waning shiitakes in refrigerated storage showing oxidation and bruising on the gills due to them being more open and vulnerable to damage. Image (B) shows high-moisture shiitakes in refrigerated storage that were harvested at the fully-ripe stage with the cap still curled under protecting the gills better from bruising. Shiitakes in image (C) at a more ideal moisture level in refrigerated storage that were harvested at fully-ripe stage show only slight oxidation on the gills (off-white color) and negligible bruising; D) ideal moisture level shiitakes harvested at their prime, showing no oxidation or bruising immediately after harvest. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2516d93c-d3fb-44d1-b901-ea2291489513/IMG_9089.jpeg Post-harvest - Make it stand out Figure 2. The image shows a secondhand household refrigerator that has been retrofitted to have precise relative humidity control with an external humidifier connected to a humidistat. Although it requires a degree of resourcefulness and ingenuity, a simple fabricated setup like this can be an accessible way to get an optimized post-harvest refrigerated shiitake storage setup on a budget. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/59bd6fc9-2cbe-4454-bf80-112faa47464b/1108ed85280242ac110003.jpg Post-harvest - Make it stand out Figure 3. The image shows a market advertisement for a specific type of dried shiitake mushroom market class in Japan. A market class like this may be limited to more traditional asian markets. This mushroom class (“Donko”) values forest-cultivation, a thick, fleshy cap with “flower”-like cracking patterns and a distinctive aroma produced by dry, cool growing conditions (late winter/spring), and harvest before the veil of the mushroom opens (i.e. slightly underripe, early waxing stage). This market class would be difficult to produce in the PNW environment largely because simultaneously dry and cool weather conditions are uncommon. Image: Rakuten.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/61852fc7-d7a8-407c-a15a-1d98b057ab11/Shiitake+grading+examples-min.png Post-harvest Figure 4. The figure provides examples of the generalized spectrum of a two-tier and three-tier shiitake market class grading system based on harvest ripeness stage. The image of the mushrooms shows the relative openness of a range of mushroom caps and the cap edge, two defining factors in determining harvest ripeness which generally correlate with shifts in mushroom quality and market weight. The other determining factor which can’t be seen very well in the image is the relative thickness of the cap. What can be seen in common between the two systems is that the lowest tier/grade is centered around the waning stages of maturity after full ripeness ends but before sporulation has occurred. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/glossary daily 0.75 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/12e16522-0da3-491d-abcc-a422e200eedc/IMG_8980.jpeg Glossary - Make it stand out Figure 1. The image shows shiitake bolts that are resting in crib stack formations within a laying yard. White-colored shiitake mycelium can be seen growing on the ends of the bolts of the bottom layer of the crib stacks during the spawn run period. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/f5699f40-8d6f-4381-8128-e1ef7fc545ad/Screen+Shot+2024-11-20+at+10.18.25+AM.png Glossary - Make it stand out Figure 2. The image shows a tray of shiitake sawdust spawn, which is being used to inoculate a bolt with shiitake mycelium. Inoculation marks the beginning of the spawn run period, which will last until the shiitake mycelium has fully colonized the substrate that the bolt provides. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/883e87c4-c570-4198-a947-361f791acc62/IMG_9167.jpeg Glossary - Make it stand out Figure 3. A section of a bolt where a cluster of mushrooms (shown after being harvested here) burst a section of this hazel bolt’s bark open to reveal the underlying mycelial mat, illustrating how mushrooms grow out of the mycelial mat, and the importance of the bark’s role in protecting the mat. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/0d0db3ca-e5b4-46c4-9da0-b355bd5a1db2/_9205487+%281%29.jpeg Glossary - Make it stand out Figure 4. The rupturing veil between the underside edge of the mushroom cap and stem can be seen in the image, with the gills of the mushroom beginning to show. This stage of mushroom growth shown in the picture illustrates the waxing stage of the harvest ripe period where the veil has broken and the cap edge is still turned substantially inward. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/printable-resources daily 0.75 2025-01-15 https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/fruitingandharvestgallery daily 0.75 2024-11-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2bd240a5-02f3-4860-bc87-31a7530030f0/Shiitake+fruiting+bark+interactions+figure.jpg Fruiting & Harvest Gallery - Make it stand out Figure 1. The images depict various shiitake fruiting interactions with the bark of the bolt. Image (A) depicts a very early stage of fruiting on a red alder bolt where primordia forming on the mycelial mat beneath the bark are apparent as raised bumps, and where one primordium has successfully broken through the bark (yellow circle, image A). Image (B) depicts the “pinning” stage where mushroom growth shows early formation of a cap; most pins on this birch bolt are constrained to exiting through the inoculation holes in the bark (white circles, image B), but one pin is struggling to grow through the tough birch bark (yellow circle, image B). Image (C) further illustrates how shiitake primordia can struggle to grow out of the mycelial mat and through the bark on bolt species like birch and cherry that have high tensile strength. Image (D) illustrates that even on bolt species with more brittle bark like red alder, mushroom caps can sometimes be deformed in the process of breaking through the bark. Image (E) illustrates highly constrained fruiting a cherry bolt, where four mushrooms have been forced to exit through a single inoculation hole. Image (F) shows a rare phenomenon where a mushroom has emerged from a section of a bolt where the bark has been damaged by animal pests; this likely occurred because garry oak bark is very thick, leading to enough of the bark remaining in-tact to keep the mycelial mat from being completely compromised. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/4aa65eec-de97-4d63-8775-b6e3de69423c/Shiitake+fruiting+phenomena+figures+viariability.jpg Fruiting & Harvest Gallery - Make it stand out Figure 2. The images illustrate the degree of variability in mushroom harvest ripeness that may be observed at a given moment on bolts that have all been soaked for fruiting at the same time. Image (A) shows variability of fruiting the same strain but different bolt wood species (birch bolts to the left, maple bolts to the right). Image (B) depicts the fruiting variability across bolts of the same species (red alder), but each bolt being a different shiitake strain. Image (C) depicts variability in fruiting across bolts of the same wood species and strain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/9e0de8ac-426a-4319-8c7d-3805e35a3974/Shiitake+fruiting+phenomena+figures+cap+fringing+color+variability.jpg Fruiting & Harvest Gallery - Make it stand out Figure 3. The images depict variability in shiitake mushroom cap “fringing” and other cap aesthetics that may be observed across various strains, bolt species, and fruiting conditions. The white frost-like “fringing” on a shiitake mushroom may be more constrained to the cap edges such as illustrated in images (A), (D), and (E), or may be more dispersed such as illustrated in Images (B), (C), (F), and (H). Mushroom of the same strain (images C, D, F, G) can vary in appearance in accordance to different growing conditions and bolt species, including fruiting in cooler weather (image D) which tends to produce more constrained fringing near the edges, and dry weather during fruiting, which will affect cap color and fissures in the cap (images F and G). The range of variability in shiitake cap color can be seen between image (G) and image (H), as affected by strain, bolt species, and weather conditions during fruiting. Bolt species that are more readily water-absorbent such as red alder may commonly produce darker colors (image H), whereas, bolt species that are more resistant to water absorption may commonly produce mushrooms with caps that are lighter colored (images E and G). Some strains may retain a more strong aesthetic character than others (images A and E) despite other factors that may typically influence appearance. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/df93a439-52fc-4bf2-84d0-f423827cdd79/Shiitake+fruiting+phenomena+figures+stem+and+size.jpg Fruiting & Harvest Gallery - Make it stand out Figure 4. Shiitake stem and related phenomena are illustrated in the images. Multi-stem clusters that such as shown on this this western beaked hazel in image (A) appear to be most related influenced strain, but also appear to occur often when fruiting on hazels (Corylus species, such as shown here). Stem size (and length), and consequent mushroom growth potential (image B) appears to also be heavily influenced by strain but also by the age of the bolt; the stem size and mushrooms shown in image (A) are depict the first fruiting off of this particular bolt. Fruitings with stout, stem-heavy mushrooms are not uncommon from the initial fruiting(s) from a bolt in general. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/2d51e735-30f1-4618-8b97-4d38bf7d9293/Shiitake+mushroom+pests.jpg Fruiting & Harvest Gallery - Make it stand out Figure 5. The images show common pests of shiitake mushrooms observed in the PNW. Images (A), (B), (C) and (D) show minor pests that may be found in the gills of unprotected shiitake mushrooms; these pests are unlikely to cause significant damage, but are unappetizing to your market nonetheless. Image (E) of an isopod (AKA pill bugs, sow bugs, etc.) and (F) of a millipede eating their way into mushrooms illustrates what has been observed to be the most commonly damaging pests in the PNW, should they make it inside your fruiting tents. Isopods in particular will leave visible feces as they eat (illustrated in image E), making the mushroom additionally unmarketable. Even one or two of either pest inside a fruiting tent can lead to damage on multiple mushrooms. Isopods in particular are very quick to find their way into an opening in the fruiting tent. Slugs can also cause similar types of damage along with a distinctive slime trail and fecal residue (image G), but are less likely to get inside a fruiting tent than isopods or millipedes. https://www.pnwforestmushroomgrowers.net/under-construction daily 0.75 2024-11-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/63bda1bd93ed33004d38e359/213452cf-7eb6-420b-ba98-eed645a99d3a/PNW+FMGN+Logo+Alt+2.png Under construction - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.