0379-B1

The Commercial Harvest of Edible Wild Mushrooms in British Columbia, Canada

Sinclair Tedder^[1] and Darcy Mitchell

ABSTRACT

The edible wild mushroom industry is a worldwide economic activity. British Columbia, Canada plays a role in that industry, yet the information available to resource managers is limited and constrains our efforts to provide appropriate resource stewardship. This paper provides an insight into the edible wild mushroom industry in British Columbia, and further focuses on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii where a Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) harvest occurs each year attracting at times hundreds of pickers. The majority of this harvest is destined for tables in Europe. Understanding the resource implications of this harvest requires a dependable flow of information. This paper provides the most up-to-date information from official statistical sources, although this may not be an accurate reflection of the total volumes and values actually harvested.

The purpose of this paper is to provide some key statistics and information about the commercial harvest of edible wild mushrooms in British Columbia, Canada, and to raise several areas of uncertainty that limit our ability to manage these forest resources. This paper will focus on the province of British Columbia and more specifically on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. This paper will assist researchers and decision-makers by providing much needed published data on the trade in edible wild mushrooms.

Edible wild mushrooms are combined with other non-wood species under the umbrella term non-timber forest products (NTFPs). NTFPs refer to a broad range of resources in the forest. Also called special forest products or non-wood forest products, NTFPs generally describe any product in the forest, other than the trees used for the production of lumber, other solid wood products and pulp. Some 200 products are currently harvested for commercial, subsistence and traditional purposes in British Columbia (de Geus, 1995). Some of the most commercially valuable products are edible wild mushrooms, which include Pine mushrooms, or American Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare), the Pacific Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus), King boletes (Boletus edulis), and Morels (Morchella spp.).

Edible wild mushrooms are commercially harvested in a variety of locations throughout British Columbia. British Columbia has a large and in many areas a relatively sparsely populated land base. The province’s total area is 95 million hectares (234.6 million acres), 95% of which is public land managed by the Crown. Figure 1 provides a map of British Columbia and indicates the general location of the more intensely harvested areas.

The world market for edible wild mushrooms

While domestic consumption of edible wild mushrooms is growing, the major markets for most of the commercially harvested edible wild mushrooms continue to be in Europe and Japan (see Schlosser and Blatner 1995; Wills and Lipsey 1999; Weigand 2000, Tedder et al 2000). As suppliers of NTFPs, the U.S. Pacific Northwest and British Columbia operate within the same markets and many of the same companies often operate in each country. Europe is the prime market for edible wild mushrooms such as Chanterelles, Morels and King boletes, while Japan is the prime market for Pine mushrooms, or American Matsutake.

Estimates of the world trade in edible wild mushrooms are not systematically collected and compiled, but some estimates are available. Fintrac provides estimates from 1993 to 1997 that indicates the world-trade in fresh or chilled mushrooms (Harmonized System commodity code 070951) is in the range of 134.5 thousand metric tonnes. As will be discussed, British Columbia’s role in that market is minor, supplying approximately one percent of the world trade, yet remains an important source for several countries.

British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest supply product to a competitive international market for NTFPs. Regional suppliers are generally price takers, meaning they are of insufficient size to control or influence prices. Prices paid to exporters, subsequently to harvesters, are set in Europe or Japan, depending on the product. Prices can vary substantially not only among the different products and product categories, but also within product categories, and wide daily price fluctuations are not uncommon. Harvesters receive the highest prices for Pine mushrooms, but values can range significantly by grade.

The commercial harvest of edible wild mushrooms in British Columbia

While playing a relatively minor role in the international trade of edible wild mushrooms, British Columbia’s commercial harvest continues every spring and fall providing hundreds and thousands of individuals with temporary employment. Pine mushrooms are the most coveted and sought after mushrooms given their value, but Chanterelles and other species also attract many harvesters throughout the province.

Exports to Japan

From 1997 to 2001, the average annual volume of mushrooms shipped to Japan ranged from just under 350,000 kilograms to almost 390,000 kilograms, depending on the source of data. British Columbia accounts for 98-100% of the shipments of fresh or chilled mushrooms to Japan. Statistics Canada reports that the average volume exported to Japan was 344,169 kilograms while Japan Customs reports imports from Canada of 388,896 (see Tables 1 and 2). Reasons for this discrepancy include the different HS Code level of trade statistics, under-reporting and mis-reporting of exports from Canada, among others. On average the Japanese statistics indicate that the volume exported is underreported from the Canadian side by about 12%, although the difference ranges from 26% more to 16% less.

Table 1: Annual volume and value of British Columbia exports of mushrooms fresh or chilled to Japan.

1. Costs, insurance and freight to point of export (Vancouver International Airport).

Table 2: Annual volume and value of Japanese imports of Pine mushrooms from Canada.

1. Costs, insurance and freight to point of import (Japanese Customs).

Statistics Canada trade data indicate that over 95% of the volume and value shipped to Japan occurs during the main Pine Mushroom months of September, October and November. Figure 2 shows the volume spikes during the main mushroom harvesting season. All volumes are shipped by air with the majority (51%) passing through the Kansai airport in Osaka and a further 43% passing through Narita airport outside of Tokyo (cite). The remaining volumes enter the country through Nagoya and Fukuoka. Imports from British Columbia represent about 15% of all Japanese imports of Tricholoma spp.

Figure 2: Fresh or chilled mushroom exports from British Columbia to Japan and Europe, annual average volumes, by month, fresh weight in kilograms, 1990 - 1998.

The average annual declared export value of shipments to Japan from 1997 to 2001 was approximately Cdn$11.8 - 12.2 million, for an average per kilogram value of Cdn$35 (see Table 1). The highest per unit value during the five-year period was Cdn$39.43 and the lowest was Cdn$30.14. There is a significant difference, however, between the declared export value and the declared import value, as indicated in Table 2. This difference is far more than shipping charges would suggest. In the fall of 2002, the air-freight cost for shipments of fresh fruits or vegetables shipped to Japan was Cdn$3.49 per kilogram for volumes of 300 kilograms or greater (Air Canada Cargo representative, pers. comm. October 2002). Other reasons, such as the drop in the value of the Yen (88 Yen per Cdn$ in 1997 to 76Yen/$Cdn in 2001) and inflation, do not fully explain the difference.

Once through Japanese customs, the Pine mushrooms begin their journey to the final consumer by entering the first of several wholesale markets. Two main wholesale markets from Pine mushrooms from Canada and the U.S. are the Ota Market in Tokyo and the Honjo Market in Osaka. In 2001, prices at the Ota market ranged from an average high of Cdn$143.66 to a low of Cdn$58.24 per kilogram. Volumes by grade are not available, thus it is not possible to calcualte a weighted average value or price.

Exports to Europe

From 1997 to 2001, the average annual volume of mushrooms shipped to Europe was 123,649 kilograms with a declared export value of Cdn$2.1 million (see Table 3). However, there appears to be more uncertainty and potential under-reporting of shipments to Europe than shipments to Japan. Wills and Lipsey (1998) estimated that in a good year the average volume of edible wild mushrooms (Chanterelles, Morels and King boletes) harvested in British Columbia could amount to approximately one million kilograms.

If the majority of these mushrooms are exported to Europe, data from the European Union suggests that the lower end of the range may better reflect volumes harvested in British Columbia. The volume consumed in Canada and the United States is uncertain, however, indicating the difficulty in determining actual harvest volumes and values, and potential pressures on mushroom productivity.

Table 3: Annual volume and value of British Columbia exports of mushrooms fresh or chilled to Europe.

Exports to Europe from North America are also minor in terms of the overall supply to the European market. For example, Table 4 shows the total volume of fresh Chanterelles (Cantharellus spp.) shipped to European Union countries in 1998, by region of origin. The North American contribution to this market is 2%. The total value of all shipments to the European Union was 58.6 million Euros, or Cdn$106.24 million.^[2] The average per kilogram value of Chanterelle shipments from all sources was Cdn$7.06, or $3.20 per pound. As table 3 indicates, in 1998 the average declared export value for fresh or chilled mushrooms shipped to Europe from British Columbia was Cdn$16.12 per kilogram, 1.28 times the average value of imports to the European Union. Evident is the need for the British Columbia’s mushrooms (and those from the Pacific Northwest) to command a higher price from European wholesalers and likely consumers.

Table 4: Shipments of Chanterelle mushrooms to European Union countries, 1998.

1. Eastern Europe suppliers include Poland, Romania and Bulgaria.

2. Lithuania accounted for approximately 86% of the total shipments from the Baltic states.

3. Suppliers include Belarus, Russian and the Ukraine.

4. The principal supplier is Serbia-Montenegro.

Table presented in Tedder, Mitchell and Farran 2000.

Picker incomes

The vast majority of people employed in the edible wild mushroom industry are the pickers. This is also the industry level where we have the least detailed and perhaps reliable information. While much data is held by various buyers, pickers and informal researchers, this data generally not made available to research organizations and especially government researchers. While the following information is accurate, detailed daily species and grade specific data is not available for the entire crop. Also not available are good estimates of average picker costs. This lack of information makes it very difficult to estimate the value of edible wild mushrooms (see Alexander et al. 2002, for a good analysis of timber and mushroom trade-offs) and to begin to examine ways to maximize revenues from the entire forest resource, not just timber.

Prices paid to pickers can range substantially, depending on species, year and area. Average prices for Pine mushrooms paid to harvesters can range from Cdn$10.00 per pound to Cdn$50.00 per pound (Meyer Resources Inc. 1995; Blatner and Alexander 1998. In 2001, prices paid to harvesters of Pine mushrooms reached Cdn$45.00 per pound, with later declines to Cdn$20.00 per pound.^[3] For Chanterelles, in 1999 and again in 2002, the price paid to pickers went as high as $7.50 per pound on the Queen Charlotte Islands, while averaging about $4.50 to $5.00 per pound (Tedder et al, 2000, Brian Eccles, pers. comm. 2002).^[4] During the 2000 and 2001 seasons, prices paid to pickers of Chanterelles declined to $1.50 per pound as a result of supply increases from eastern Europe and Russia. Blatner and Alexander (1998) report that from 1993 to 1996 the mean price paid to pickers in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington was US$6.50 per pound. In their analysis of soil expectation values, Alexander et al, 2002, used an average price of US$4.40 per kilogram for Yellow chanterelles harvested on the Olympic Peninsula, and US$35.17 as the average weighted price paid to pickers of American Matsutake from 1992 to 1996.

The Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii mushroom industry

Edible wild mushrooms have been commercially harvested on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii since the early 1980s, and have been exported predominantly to the European market. In most years, at least 90% of the mushrooms harvested are Pacific Golden Chanterelles. Other species harvested less frequently and in smaller volumes are King boletes, Blue chanterelles (Polyozellus multiplex), Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), and occasionally Pine mushrooms.

The majority of the mushroom picking activity occurs in the Skidegate Lake area, which is located on the northern half of Moresby Island, although there are other fruiting areas on both Moresby and Graham Islands. Skidegate Lake is approximately nine kilometres long and the most productive mushroom habitat covers an area around the lake of about 5,000 hectares. Depending on the productivity of the mushroom season, as many as 300 people, about two-thirds of which are from off-Island, arrive at various times and locations to harvest Chanterelles and other mushrooms on the QCI/HG.

Average volumes and values

Anecdotal estimates of the annual volume of Chanterelles harvested on the QCI/HG range from about 100,000 to 250,000 pounds (45,000 to 115,000 kilograms), and up to 350,000 pounds (160,000 kilograms) in an exceptional year.

In a good producing year, the total value of the QCI/HG edible wild mushrooms at the picker level can be worth approximately $625,000 to $1,125,000, assuming an average harvest of 250,000 pounds and a price ranging from $2.50/pound to $4.50/pound. The potential export value to Europe, assuming an average price of $7.61/pound, or $16.75/kilogram (see Table 4), is $1.9 million. This value could easily range by plus or minus 50%.

In 1999 (the year research for his project took place), the Chanterelle season was considered unproductive for Chanterelles, but the volume of King boletes harvested was above average and considered the best in five years. Daily shipments of all mushroom species average 1,000 to 1,500 pounds, and the total volume shipped during the season was approximately 45,000 to 67,000 pounds (20,000 to 35,000 kilograms).

Prices paid to pickers remained above average (in terms of past prices and also prices elsewhere in the province) for the majority of the 1999 season. The availability of King boletes made the year worthwhile for many pickers. In early September, King boletes were the main species harvested and pickers received $8 per pound; that price dropped to $4 per pound as the quality dropped and by the fourth week of September buyers were purchasing few if any. An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of King boletes were harvested from the QCI/HG in 1999.

For Chanterelles, pickers averaged approximately Cdn$4.50 to $5.00 per pound. Prices peaked at the end of September reaching Cdn$7.50 per pound on September 30 before falling to Cdn$4.50 per pound two days later. By the middle of October prices had fallen to Cdn$3.00 per pound.

A crude estimate of the total value of the 1999 QCI harvest at the picker level is approximately Cdn$225,000 to $350,000, based on a harvest of 45,000 to 67,000 pounds and average prices of Cdn$4.50 per pound for Chanterelles and $8.00 per pound for King boletes. Given that approximately 60 people were actively picking, if all shared evenly in the income each would have earned from Cdn$3,750 to $5,800.^[5] However, abilities and local knowledge play a significant part in the volumes picked and some pickers likely earned far less than the average wage suggested above. Anecdotal information suggests that incomes ranged from as little as Cdn$25 to $30 per day to a high between Cdn$200 to $300 per day. This variation in income levels could easily occur for different individuals on the same day.

The average declared price of exports to Europe during the 1999 season was $19.40/kilogram ($8.80/pound). The total 1999 value of the QCI/HG wild mushroom harvest would be somewhere in the range of $400,000 to $600,000.

Table 5 is the record of a two-person picking group for one week during the 1999 season. It illustrates the variability in daily volumes and average per hour wage. The average wage earned over the week was $10.90 per hour per person. However, the lower wages earned in the first two or three days is the result of inexperience and a higher average wage would likely result as the level of experience increases, although in any given year the availability of mushrooms and the price are the strongest determinants of earning potential.

Table 5: Volumes picked and wages based on volume and weight of mushrooms harvested at Skidegate Lake, Moresby Island, September, 1999

*Volume given in either buckets (buck.) or small or large baskets (s. bask./lge. bask.)
** Weight for Chanterelles unless otherwise noted.

Source: Pers. comm. Wendy Cocksedge.

Conclusions and areas of further research

Though detailed information about volumes harvested, values, and locations is difficult to find, there is sufficient trade data available to gain an understanding of the size and impact of the commercial harvest of edible wild mushrooms. The same cannot be said for most other NTFPs however. Several themes for further research emerge from the previous discussion that can not only influence the level and detail of research, but can also affect the way in which governments view NTFPs, specifically edible wild mushrooms, and incorporate them into decision making and resource management.

Currently unmanaged open access resource. How do we best manage the forest for NTFPs within a multiple use environment?

No systematic collection of harvest volume and value data by province or region. We have little idea of the volume and value of product coming from certain areas, thus are unable to manage many areas to maximize the value of all resources.

Resource productivity and sustainable harvest levels. Without more localized information we cannot determine productivity and potential levels of overharvesting.

Do we wait until we know more to manage? Research is underway to identify the implication of harvesting and better understand stand attributes and productivity, but is some form of management necessary now?

Literature cited.

Alexander, Susan, D. Pilz, N. Weber, E. Brown, V. Rockwell. 2002. “Mushrooms, trees, and money: Value estimates of commercial mushrooms and timber in the Pacific Northwest.” Environmental Management. Vol. 2, No.1, pp. 129-141.

Blatner, Keith and Susan Alexander. 1998. “Recent price trends for non-timber forest products in the Pacific Northwest.” Forest Products Journal and Index. Vol. 48. no. 10: pp. 28-34.

de Geus, Nelly. 1995. Botanical forest products in British Columbia: An overview. Victoria, B.C.: Integrated Resources Policy Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests. Pp. 51.

Fintrac Ag Info Shop. http://www.fintrac.com/shop/

Japan Customs. http://www.customs.go.jp/index_e.htm

Meyer Resources. 1995. A Preliminary Analysis of the Economic Importance of the 1994 Pine Mushroom Industry of the Nass Valley Area, British Columbia. Victoria: Province of B.C. and the Nisga’a Tribal Council. Pp. 28.

Mushroom market crashes.” The Powell River Peak, 31, Oct. 2001: 7.

Schlosser, W.E. and K.A. Blatner. 1995. “The wild edible mushroom industry in Washington, Oregon and Idaho: A 1992 survey of processors.” Journal of Forestry. Vol. 93, No. 3. Pp. 31.36.

Statistics Canada. Commodity Trade Statistics. http://www.statcan.ca/trade/scripts/trade_search.cgi

Tedder, Sinclair; Darcy Mitchell, and Ramsay Farran. 2000. Seeing the forest beneath the trees: The social and economic potential of non-timber forest products and services in the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii. Victoria, B.C.: South Moresby Forest Replacement Account and the BC Ministry of Forests. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/HET/Index.htm. Pp. 136.

Weigand, J.F. 2000. “Wild edible mushroom harvest in North America: market econometric analysis.” Les champignons forestiers: récolte, commercialisation et conservaton de la resource. J.A. Fortin and Y. Piché édit. CRBF, Université Laval, Québec, 22 et 23 février 1999. Pp. 35-43.

Wills, Russel M. and Richard G. Lipsey. 1999. An economic strategy to develop non-timber forest products and services in British Columbia. Victoria, B.C.: Forest Renewal BC Project no. PA97538-ORE. Pp. 115.