Ecology and Management of 

Morels Harvested From the Forests 

of Western North America

David Pilz, Rebecca McLain, Susan Alexander, Luis Villarreal-Ruiz, 

Shannon Berch, Tricia L. Wurtz, Catherine G. Parks, Erika McFarlane, 

Blaze Baker, Randy Molina, and Jane E. Smith

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

General Technical

Report

PNW-GTR-710

March 2007
Authors

David Pilz is an affiliate faculty member, Department of Forest Science, Oregon 

State University, 321 Richardson Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-5752; Rebecca McLain 

is a senior policy analyst, Institute for Culture and Ecology, P.O. Box 6688, Portland, OR 97228-6688; Susan Alexander is the regional economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Alaska Region, P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, AK 

99802-1628; Luis Villarreal-Ruiz is an associate professor and researcher, Colegio 

de Postgraduados, Postgrado en Recursos Genéticos y Productividad-Genética, 

Montecillo Campus, Km. 36.5 Carr., México-Texcoco 56230, Estado de México; 

Shannon Berch is a forest soils ecologist, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, 

P.O. Box 9536 Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, BC V8W9C4, Canada; Tricia L. Wurtz

is a research ecologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station, Boreal Ecology Cooperative Research Unit, Box 

756780, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775-6780; Catherine G. Parks is 

a research plant ecologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station, Forestry and Range Sciences Laboratory, 1401 Gekeler 

Lane, La Grande, OR 97850-3368; Erika McFarlane is an independent contractor, 

5801 28th Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98107; Blaze Baker is a botanist, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, Forest Service, TEAMS Enterprise Team, 830 Zion Street, Nevada 

City, CA 95959; Randy Molina is a research botanist (retired), U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences 

Laboratory, 620 SW Main, Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205-3028; and Jane E. Smith

is a research botanist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific 

Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 3200 SW Jefferson 

Way, Corvallis, OR 97331-4401.

Cover Art

Peeling bark on the log illustrates the tendency of morels to fruit following tree 

death. Morels can differ widely in color and shape depending on species, genetic 

diversity, age, exposure to sunlight, and other environmental conditions. Original 

painting by Paula Fong (http://www.prfong.com)
Abstract

Pilz, David; McLain, Rebecca; Alexander, Susan; Villarreal-Ruiz, Luis; 

Berch, Shannon; Wurtz, Tricia L.; Parks, Catherine G.; McFarlane, Erika; 

Baker, Blaze; Molina, Randy; Smith, Jane E. 2007. Ecology and management 

of morels harvested from the forests of western North America. Gen. Tech. Rep. 

PNW-GTR-710. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 

Pacific Northwest Research Station. 161 p.

Morels are prized edible mushrooms that fruit, sometimes prolifically, in many 

forest types throughout western North America. They are collected for personal 

consumption and commercially harvested as valuable special (nontimber) forest 

products. Large gaps remain, however, in our knowledge about their taxonomy, 

biology, ecology, cultivation, safety, and how to manage forests and harvesting activities to conserve morel populations and ensure sustainable crops. This 

publication provides forest managers, policymakers, mycologists, and mushroom 

harvesters with a synthesis of current knowledge regarding these issues, regional 

summaries of morel harvesting and management, and a comprehensive review of 

the literature.

Keywords: Morel mushrooms, Morchella, forest management, special forest 

products, nontimber forest products, edible fungi.
Summary

Morels are the fruiting bodies of species in the genus Morchella. They are prized 

edible mushrooms that fruit, sometimes prolifically, in many forest types throughout western North America as well as in temperate forests globally. They are commercially harvested and sold locally, nationally, and internationally. Annual commerce in morels likely ranges in value from $5 million to $10 million in western 

North America; thus they are one of the more valuable special forest products in the 

region. Large gaps remain, however, in our knowledge about morels. Their taxonomy is confusing and most North American species lack valid scientific names. 

Their biology, nutritional sources, life cycle, and modes of reproduction are unusual 

and complex. Ecologically, we do not yet fully understand how and why some 

morels fruit prolifically following tree death, wildfire, or other forest disturbances. 

Efforts to cultivate morels have only been partially successful; thus wild crops 

remain competitive in the marketplace. Species in genera closely related to morels 

are sometimes harvested or sold as food, but some of these species can be poisonous and their sale affects regulations regarding morel commerce. Morels also can 

accumulate toxic heavy metals under certain circumstances. As with morel biology, 

no comprehensive summary exists about morel harvesters and their culture; about 

social, economic, and environmental aspects of morel commerce; or about harvest 

regulations that are specific to morels. Morels fruit from Mexico to Alaska in 

western North America. Within this range, morel crops, forest habitats, land ownership, forest management goals, laws and regulations, and morel commerce differ by 

region. This publication provides forest managers, policymakers, mycologists, and 

mushroom harvesters with a synthesis of current knowledge regarding these issues, 

regional summaries of morel harvesting and management throughout western 

North America, a discussion of how forest management and morel crops interact, 

suggestions for useful research, and a comprehensive review of the literature.
Contents

 1 Introduction

 5 About Morels

 5 Whence Morels

 8 Distribution

10 Habitats

12 Timing

13 Taxonomy

17 Species Descriptions

30 Biology

53 Cultivation

58 Collecting to Cooking

62 Toxins and Contaminants

66 Morel Harvesters

66 Personal Use

68 Commercial

75 Morel Commerce

75 International

76 North America

77 Economics

81 Local Impacts

83 Policy and Regulation

88 Regional Summaries

88 Mountains of Mexico

92 Overview of the Western United States

93 Interior West and Rocky Mountains

94 Sierra Nevada Range of California

96 Coast and Cascade Ranges in Oregon and Washington

98 Wallowa and Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon

99 Northern Rocky Mountains of Washington, Idaho, and Montana

101 Western Canada

106 Interior Alaska

108 Management and Research

108 Sustainability

109 Productivity
112 Forest Management

116 Harvest Management

118 Useful Research

121 Closing Remarks

124 Glossary

128 Acknowledgments

129 Metric Equivalents

129 Literature Cited

158 Appendix: Common and Scientific Names
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

Introduction

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, commercial mushroom harvesting expanded 

rapidly on federal lands in the Pacific Northwest. Molina and others (1993) examined the species that were being harvested and the issues involved. Three types 

of mushrooms constituted the bulk of harvested mushroom crops: the American 

matsutake or pine mushroom (Tricholoma magnivelare), various species of chanterelles (Cantharellus and related genera), and morels (Morchella species). This 

publication completes a series of three General Technical Reports (GTRs) focusing 

in greater detail on the ecology and management of these commercially important 

fungi. The first (Hosford and others 1997) discussed the American matsutake and 

the second (Pilz and others 2003) examined chanterelles. All of these publications 

were written for forest managers, policymakers, and the general public, but contain 

sufficient detail and references for use by mycologists (people that study fungi) and 

other scientists.

American matsutake are the most valuable mushrooms harvested in the Pacific 

Northwest but are not as abundant as chanterelles or morels. Chanterelles are the 

most abundant, but sell for considerably lower prices than American matsutake or 

morels. Morels are more valuable than chanterelles and more abundant than American matsutake; hence in combination, the total value of morel crops in the Pacific 

Northwest is larger than either of the others (Blatner and Alexander 1998, Schlosser 

and Blatner 1995).

Morels are distinct in a number of other ways. Compared to most other 

harvested forest fungi, they occur in a wider variety of forested ecosystems and 

habitats, they appear to be more genetically diverse, they differ widely in appearance, their taxonomy and distinctions among species are poorly defined and in flux, 

they exhibit heterogeneous and adaptive lifestyles, and their potential interactions 

with forest management activities are complex and numerous. Additionally, they 

are among the most avidly sought and highly esteemed mushrooms for culinary use 

and ease of preservation.

Morels are of global importance, not only because they are widely appreciated wherever they grow, but also because international commerce in morels is 

extensive. Cultivated morels still have not replaced wild-harvested morels in most 

markets. We will discuss the reasons why morels are difficult and expensive to 

grow. Meanwhile, harvesting morels from forests remains profitable and forest 

management plays an important role in maintaining such crops.

This publication focuses on morel mushrooms that grow from Mexico to 

Alaska and from the Rocky Mountains westward. We have chosen this geographic 

Morels are more 

valuable than 

chanterelles and 

more abundant than 

American matsutake; 

hence in combination, 

the total value of morel 

crops in the Pacific 

Northwest is larger 

than either of the 

others.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710



region for three reasons. First, morels occur in large crops and are commercially 

harvested in significant quantities in many places throughout western North 

America. Second, forest ecosystems throughout this region differ from forests east 

of the Rocky Mountains in their greater abundance of conifers, sparser summer 

precipitation, and more frequent wildfires. Lastly, several excellent books address 

morels of the Eastern United States, but we know of none that specifically address 

morels in the West.

“Managing” morels is a multifaceted issue. Biologically, it entails understanding their ecological niches, life cycles, nutrient sources, and reproductive strategies. 

Forest management issues include how the organism persists in ecosystems over 

time and how it reacts to disturbance, whether natural or produced by humans. 

Cultivation efforts illustrate the complexity of morel lifestyles and why they will 

likely remain predominantly wild-harvested for the foreseeable future. Methods 

that harvesters use to collect morels demonstrate the harvester’s interest in sustainability. Culinary use and concerns about inherent or absorbed toxins will stimulate 

further debate about regulating commerce in wild mushrooms. The value of morels 

in national and international markets affects the demand for access to harvesting 

opportunities and the environmental impacts associated with harvesting. Harvester 

strategies and transient workers pose challenges and opportunities for local communities and forest managers. Mixed ownership of forest land and varied land 

management goals create a mosaic of mushroom harvesting regulations that can 

be confusing to harvesters and difficult for land management agencies to enforce. 

These considerations overlay regional differences in forest ecosystems, climate, 

morel productivity, available labor, and transportation networks. This complex 

matrix of management issues and concerns, and our lack of understanding about 

essential aspects thereof, provide ample opportunities for continued research. 

Investigations that involve collaborative participation by individuals and organizations with diverse perspectives and interests will be especially useful for resolving 

management controversies while supporting economic opportunities (Pilz and others 2006b). By addressing all these issues, we aim to provide readers with a comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge and a thorough compilation of pertinent 

sources of information.

This publication is intentionally written for readers with diverse interests and 

backgrounds, so the following comments about format and usage are meant to 

improve clarity. With the exceptions of spore size and one figure, only English 

units are used. Conversion factors for metric units are provided in the section 

immediately preceding the “Literature Cited” section. All Web sites listed in this 

publication were last accessed and checked for availability on 20 December 2006. 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America



All prices cited in the literature from other countries have been converted to U.S. 

currency values by using historical exchange rates that existed at the time of the 

original publication.1 We use mycological terminology (technical terms about 

fungi) throughout the document. Each term is explained at first usage and listed 

in a glossary immediately after the “Closing Remarks” section. Acronyms used in 

only one section are defined at first usage. Common acronyms found in multiple 

sections of the document are USFS (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service) and BLM (U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management). 

Various terms, acronyms, and definitions are used around the world for wild crafted 

products. “Special forest products” is used by federal land management agencies in 

the Pacific Northwest and the states of Oregon and Washington. “Nontimber forest 

products” is the most common usage in the literature and internationally. We use 

either according to the context.

We use both scientific and common names interchangeably and in combinations; our intent is to make the text explicit yet readable. Frequently we abbreviate 

“Morchella” to “M.” when referring to a species of morel by scientific name. The 

appendix is a table of common and corresponding scientific names for all the organisms we mention in our text. To facilitate finding names in the appendix, fungi are 

listed in alphabetical order by scientific name; all other organisms are listed in order 

by common name.

One of the biggest challenges in preparing this document was the lack of agreement on scientific and common names for Western morels. Scientific names for 

morels described from other continents should be used for North American morels 

only provisionally, if at all, until comparison of specimens proves they are identical. 

Preliminary studies are revealing more diversity and endemism (native to only one 

place, region, or continent) than many researchers expected to find. As a result, 

the application of scientific names to North American morels is in a state of flux. 

Because common (vernacular) names are not applied according to a fixed system, 

they vary tremendously in their usage. Table 1 provides the names that we will use 

in this document. It is not meant to be definitive or unchanging; it merely provides 

consistency to our discussion and is based on our current understanding of Western 

morel species.

1 Prices from other currencies were converted to dollars with historical data corresponding to 

the year of the cited report by using tables obtained from the Web site of the OANDA Corporation, http://www.oanda.com/convert/fxhistory.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710



Table 1—Names used in this publication for distinctive western morels occurring in western 

North America north of Mexico

Our Morel

usagea Disturbanceb cladec Scientific namesd Comments

Natural None or Black (M. elata) Putative species A

 black morel nonfire (M. conica) (Pilz and others 2004)

(M. angusticeps)

(Pink?)e Fire Black (M. conica) Putative species B 

 burn morel (M. angusticeps) (Pilz and others 2004)

(Green?)e Fire Black (M. conica) Putative species C

 burn morel (M. angusticeps) (Pilz and others 2004)

Gray morelf Fire Unknown (“M. atrotomentosa”g Putative species D

 as used by McKnight (Pilz and others 2004)

 1987) Also called “fuzzy foot”

 or “black foot” morel

Mountain None or Unknown None yet Putative species E

 blond morel nonfire (Pilz and others 2004)

Yellow None or Yellow (M. esculenta) Likely several difficult-to-

 morel nonfire (M. crassipes) distinguish species 

 (M. crassipes is an old-

 growth M. esculenta)

 (Kuo 2005, 2006)

Red-brown None or Blushing Morchella In Xalapa, Mexico

 blushing nonfire (several rufobrunnea (Guzmán and Tapia 1998) 

 morel subtropical (M. deliciosa) and likely California (Kuo

 species) 2006) 

The similar M. deliciosa

 likely does not grow in 

 the West

Half-free None or None of the Morchella semilibera

 morel nonfire above (Mitrophora semilibera)

a Common names for morels are so numerous, and used so inconsistently, that we make no effort to cross-reference them. We 

use “natural black” and “gray” morels, because these terms are common among commercial harvesters. This list is likely not 

inclusive of all the unique morel species that will eventually be identified in western North America. Kuo (2005) suggested 

there are other distinct black morels in western North America.

b Nonfire disturbances include insect infestations of trees, logging, tree death, floods, landslides, or any disruption or 

compaction of soil layers. Division of morels into fire and nonfire species reflects current understanding of how particular 

morels typically respond to disturbance. As species become better delineated and described, we might find that some species 

have more diverse habitat preferences and fruiting triggers. See “Morel Strategies” section and Kuo (2005).

c Two major clades, or groupings of closely-related true morels, are currently recognized in North America, “yellows” and 

“blacks.” A third clade of subtropical blushing species (M. rufobrunnea, M. guatemalensis, and M. rigidoides) is postulated 

by Guzmán and Tapia (1998). 

d Most scientific names used for morels in North American field guides were given originally to European species, and it is 

currently unknown which, if any, of these species actually occur in North America. Morchella rufobrunnea and Morchella 

semilibera are the only scientific names in our chart that most taxonomists would accept as applicable in North America. We 

list the other scientific names (abbreviated and in parentheses) because they are widely used in the literature, but the North 

American morels to which these names have been assigned might be endemic species that require original names.

e Co-author Carol Carter (Pilz and others 2004) suggests that burn morels in the black clade are likely two or more species. 

These species can be difficult to distinguish by field appearance because their shades of color intergrade. Co-author Nancy 

S. Weber tentatively suggests “pink” and “green” as common names for these putative burn species.

f The gray morel can range in color from very dark to almost blond as it matures (see fig. 2 in the “Species Descriptions” 

section). As with the “natural” black morel, we use a common name for this morel that is widely used among commercial 

mushroom harvesters. It also reflects this morel’s overall color when it is young, fresh, and prime for harvesting. 

g “M. atrotomentosa” is not a valid scientific name. See comments for the gray morel in the “Species Descriptions” section.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America



About Morels

Whence Morels

The names for morels in many Germanic languages can be traced to the early 

German dialect called “Old High German” (Weber 1988). Webster’s Third New 

International Dictionary provides this derivation [with abbreviations spelled out]: 

“French morille, of Germanic origin, akin to Old High German morhila, diminutive 

of moraha ‘carrot’” (Gove and others 1993). Regardless of its English etymology, 

cultures around the world have bestowed names with local meaning (table 2). These 

are often descriptive. For instance, the indigenous Nahua of Tlaxcala, Mexico, call 

morels “olonanácatl,” a word derived from the Náhuatl language meaning: olotl = 

corncob + nanácatl = mushroom (Montoya and others 2003). Other names used by 

indigenous groups in Mexico include “colmenitas” (little beehives), “mazorquitas” 

(little tender corn ears), “elotitos” (little ears of green corn), and “pancitas” (little 

paunches) (Guzmán and Tapia 1998). On the other side of the world, on the Tibetan 

Plateau, morels are called “gugu shamu” meaning the “cuckoo mushroom,” because 

they fruit when the cuckoo bird returns in spring.2

Despite the cultural and linguistic evidence that morels are used and esteemed 

around the world, little information exists regarding Native American uses of 

morels north of Mexico.

Moerman (1998) did list the Crow Tribe of southwestern Montana and northern 

Wyoming as using morels for soap, and Gilmore (1919) reported that the Omaha 

Tribe esteemed boiled morels as food. The Omaha-Ponca name for morels was 

Mikaih. thi, which translates literally as “star sore.” Even some famous early 

European-American explorers failed to appreciate our North American morels. 

“Cruzatte brought me several large morells,” writes Meriwether Lewis on June 19, 

1806, “which I roasted and eat without salt pepper or grease in this way I had for 

the first time the true taist of the morell which is truly an insippid taistless food. . .” 

(Ambrose 1996: 362, Nelsen 2002).

Few chefs would recommend cooking morels without plenty of butter or cream, 

and indeed, many people disagree with Lewis’s opinion of morels. Lonik (2002) 

estimated that 50 million people worldwide pick morels. Morel harvesting has been 

described in terms like “morel madness” (Weber 1988), “fungal lust” (Boom 1995), 

“the sickness” (Kuo 2005), and “screams of delight” (Casey 1995). Companies

2Winkler, Dan. 2005. Personal communication. Conservation consultant, Eco-Montane 

Consulting, 9725 NE 130 Place, Kirkland, WA 98034.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710



Table 2—Some non-English common names for morels

Common name Cited scientific namesa Country Referenceb

Amigasa-take M. conica Japan Kreisel 2005, Rolfe

 and Rolfe 1925

Bankai yangdujum M. semilibera China Hall and others 2003

Cagarria Morchella species Spain Kreisel 2005

Colmena M. angusticeps, Mexico Guzmán 1977

 M. esculenta, M. conica

Colmenilla Morchella species Spain Kreisel 2005

Colmenita Morchella species Mexico Guzmán and 

 Tapia 1998

Cutui yangdujun M. crassipes China Hall and others 2003

Ekte morkel Morchella species Norway Chandra 1989

Elote Morchella species, Mexico Guzmán 1977

 M. esculenta, M. conica

Elotito Morchella species, Mexico Guzmán 1977

 M. angusticeps

Funguli Morchella species Ancient Rolfe and Rolfe 1925

 Rome

Gaoyandujun M. elata China Hall and others 2003

Guchhii Morchella species Himachal Prasad and others 2002

 Pradesh, 

 Kashmir, 

 North India

Gugu shamu Morchella species Tibet Winklerc

Halbfrei morchel M. semilibera Germany Kreisel 2005

Hättmurkla M. semilibera Sweden Korhonen 1986

Höhe morchel or M. elata Germany Svrček 1983

 Höhlmorchel

Huhtasieni Morchella species Finland Korhonen 1986

Jianyangdujun M. conica China Hall and others 2003

Kabuteng hugis utak Morchella species Philippines Chandra 1989

Käppchenmorchel M. semilibera Germany Dähncke and Dähncke 

 1984, Kreisel 2005

Kartiohuhtasieni M. elata, M. conica Finland Korhonen 1986

Kellohuhtasieni M. semilibera Finland Korhonen 1986

Koestliche morchel M. deliciosa Germany Dähncke and Dähncke 

 1984

Kucsmagomba Morchella species Hungary Chandra 1989

Leimai yabgdujun M. costata China Hall and others 2003

Mazorca M. angusticeps, M. esculenta, Mexico Guzmán 1977

 M. conica

Mazorquita Morchella species Mexico Guzmán and Tapia 1998

Merkel Morchella species Germany Weber 1988

Mikaih.thi Morchella species Omaha-Ponca Gilmore 1919

 Tribes, North

 America
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

Table 2—Some non-English common names for morels (continued)

Common name Cited scientific namesa Country Referenceb

Morchel Morchella species Germany Kreisel 2005

Morhila Morchella species Old High Gove and others 1993

 German

Morielje Morchella species Netherlands Chandra 1989, Kreisel 

 2005

Morilla M. conica, M. esculenta Mexico, Spain Guzmán 1977, Kreisel 

 2005, Weber 1988

Morille Morchella species France Chandra 1989, Kreisel 

 2005, Weber 1988

Morille conique M. elata France Kreisel 2005

Morille vulgaire M. esculenta France Kreisel 2005

Morillon M. semilibera France Kreisel 2005

Morkel Morchella species Denmark, Chandra 1989, Kreisel 

 Norway 2005

Murkla Morchella species Sweden Kreisel 2005

Olonanácatl Morchella species Mexico Montoya and others 2003 

Olote M. conica, M. esculenta Mexico Guzmán 1977

Olotito Morchella species Mexico Montoya and others 2003

Pancita Morchella species Mexico Guzmán and Tapia 1998

Pallohuhtasieni M. esculenta Finland Korhonen 1986

Pique M. elata, intermedia, Chile Honrubiad

 and conica

Pumpalka Morchella species Bulgaria Chandra 1989

Rundmorkel M. esculenta Norway Kreisel 2005

Rund toppmurkla M. esculenta Sweden Korhonen 1986, Kreisel

 2005

Sfonduli Morchella species Ancient Rome Rolfe and Rolfe 1925

Smardz Morchella species Poland Chandra 1989, Weber 1988

Smardz jadalny M. esculenta Poland Chandra 1989

Smardz pólwolny M. semilibera Poland Chandra 1989

Smardz wyniosly M. elata Poland Chandra 1989

Smorchok Morchella species, Russia Chandra 1989, Kreisel 

 M. esculenta 2005

Smrž Morchella species Czech Chandra 1989, Kreisel

 2005, Weber 1988

Smrž obecný M. esculenta Czech Kreisel 2005

Smrž polovolný M. semilibera Czech Kreisel 2005

Speisemorchel M. esculenta Germany Dähncke and 

 Dähncke 1984,

 Kreisel 2005

Spissmorkel M. elata Norway Kreisel 2005

Spitzmorchel M. conica Germany Dähncke and 

 Dähncke 1984
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710



selling morel products have similarly descriptive names such as “Morel Mania” 3

and “Morel Heaven.” 4 Such is the popularity of morels, that they are commonly a 

theme in cartoons (Grace 2005), and their harvest in Alaska was used as the setting 

for a murder mystery novel by Stabenow (1995). In table 2, the global popularity of 

morels is illustrated by listing various names for morels in languages and countries 

around the world.

Distribution

Morels grow in all countries of the Northern Hemisphere that have temperate or 

boreal forests (Arora 1986), that is, forests that experience a distinct cold season, 

especially with winter snow. They also occur in some Mediterranean or subtropical regions such as coastal California (Arora 1986, Kuo 2005), the highlands of 

3Morel Mania is a private company specializing in morel-related items. They list twelve 2006 

morel festivals in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Missouri on their 

Web site. http://www.morelmania.com/4Events/index.html.

4 “Morel Heaven” is now called “Mazur’s Mushrooms and More” after the founder and morel 

enthusiast Larry Lonik died and close friends continued the business. The Web site http://

www.morelheaven.com/ lists annual festivals in Michigan.

Table 2—Some non-English common names for morels (continued)

Common name Cited scientific namesa Country Referenceb

Spongiae in humore Morchella species Ancient Chandra 1989

 pratorum nascentes Rome

Spongioli Morchella species Ancient Greece Rolfe and Rolfe 1925 

 or Rome

Spugnola Morchella species Italy Chandra 1989, 

 Kreisel 2005,

 Weber 1988

Suéter Morchella species Mexico Montoya and others

 2003 

Toppmurkla Morchella species, Sweden Kreisel 2005, 

 M. conica, M. elata Korhonen 1986

Yangdujun M. esculenta China Hall and others 2003

Zbírciog Morchella species Romania Chandra 1989

a Scientific names are those used in the cited publications.

b Most names listed in this table were compiled and provided by Paul Kroeger. 2005. Personal communication. President, 

Vancouver Mycological Society, 101 - 1001 West Broadway, Box 181, Vancouver, BC V6H 4E4 Canada. 

c Winkler, Dan. 2005. Personal communication. Conservation consultant, Eco-Montane Consulting, 9725 NE 130 Place, 

Kirkland, WA 98034.

d Honrubia, Mario. 2005. Personal communication. Professor, Departamento de Biología Vegetal, Área de Botánica, 

Laboratorio de Micología-Micorrizas, Facultad de Biología, Campus de Espinardo, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, 

Spain.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America



Mexico and Guatemala (Guzmán-Dávalos and Rodríguez-Alcantar 1993, Guzmán 

and Tapia 1998), and the Middle East (Goldway and others 2000). Many morels in 

the Southern Hemisphere were likely introduced from the Northern Hemisphere, 

but endemic species also seem to exist. For instance, preliminary data suggest that 

although Australia has some introduced morel species (Barnes and Wilson 1998), it 

also hosts two possible endemic species.5 This finding is not surprising given that 

morels in Australia and Tasmania associate with eucalypts and acacias (Faris and 

others 1996, Stott and others 2002), trees that are very different from those endemic 

to Northern Hemisphere forests. In Chile, morels growing with blue gum trees 

(Eucalyptus globus) and in Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) plantations in the Mediterranean climatic region were likely introduced along with those tree species,6

but Gamundi and others (2004) also reported native morels in the southern beech 

(Nothofagus) forests of Argentina and of Chile. Both introduced and native morels 

are being studied. Researchers from the Universidad de Concepción in Casilla, 

Chile, in conjunction with the national Instituto Forestal, have begun a program of 

inoculating chestnut trees (Castanea sativa) with Morchella conica spores in an 

effort to produce mycorrhizal seedlings for out-planting.7 In Argentina, research 

has begun on native morel productivity and enhancement in Chilean cedar (Austrocedrus chilensis) forests of the Patagonian Andes in Chubut Province.8

 Supporting 

commercial opportunities to harvest morels in a sustainable manner is one goal of 

the project. Research sites include Los Alerces National Park and nearby private 

lands where commercial morel harvesting can be proscribed and study sites kept 

secure.

Morels can be found throughout the United States if you look in the right 

habitats, such as the forested slopes of Hawaiian volcanoes (Hemmes and Desjardin 

5 O’Donnell, Kerry. 2005. Personal communication. Microbiologist, Microbial Genomics and 

Bioprocessing Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1815 N University St., Peoria, IL 61604.

6 Palfner, Götz. 2005. Personal communication. Biologist, Departamento de Ciencias 

Químicas, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Casilla 54-D, Temuco IX 

Región, Chile.

7Reinoso, R.; Cjas, D.; Chung, P. [and others]. 2005. Evaluation of the mycorrhization process 

on plants of the species Castanea sativa (Fagaceae) with mycorrhizal Tuber aestivum and 

Morchella conica (Ascomycetes). [Unpublished abstract]. 4th international workshop on 

edible mycorrhizal mushrooms, 29 November–2 December 2005, Murcia, Spain. Professor, 

Departmento de Botánica, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de 

Concepción, Edmundo Larenas S/N, Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Chile.

8 Barroetaveña, Carolina. 2006. Personal communication. Post-doctoral researcher, Centro 

de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico CC. 14, Esquel (9200), Chubut, 

Argentina. Dr. Mario Rajchenberg is director of the project and Dra. Barroetaveña will be 

implementing it.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

10

2002). They are rare, however, in hot climates such as inland southern California, 

the desert regions of the Southwest, the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico, and 

most of Florida. This distribution likely reflects their common association with 

trees and their tolerance to cold soils or “psychrotolerance” (Schmidt 1983). Morels 

also exhibit what has been called “broad ecological amplitude” and “environmental 

plasticity” (Wedin and others 2004). These terms will be further discussed in the 

“Biology” section. 

Habitats 

Disturbance—Throughout this publication we will discuss disturbances such as 

tree death, soil disruption, or fires as habitat factors that can stimulate morels to 

fruit, often in large quantities. Such triggers for fruiting appear to differ by species to some extent. For instance, we chose to distinguish “burn” from “nonburn” 

species of morels because frequent observations by the authors and commercial 

harvesters, as well as currently published information (McFarlane and others 2005, 

McLain and others 2005, Pilz and others 2004), suggest that some Western species 

only occur for a year or two after forest fires, whereas other species occur year 

after year in areas that have not burned. Absence of evidence to the contrary does 

not constitute proof of fruiting exclusively under certain conditions, however, and 

what we call burn or nonburn species might fruit occasionally under the reverse 

conditions. In resolving this issue, it will be especially important for future data 

to specify if the collected morel was found growing from burned soil or not, rather 

than simply from within a wildfire perimeter, because nonburned areas frequently 

remain within the boundary of a forest fire. 

Even morels that we call “nonburn” species can respond with large flushes of 

fruiting in response to disturbances such as soil displacement, soil compaction, tree 

death, or other stimuli. The following sections illustrate the range of such conditions.

Range of habitats—Morels have adapted to a wide range of habitats and environmental conditions. Illustrating the wide range of places and conditions where 

morels fruit, Arora (1986) joked that morels “usually grow outdoors.” We will not 

list all literature reports of the places, conditions, and circumstances where morels 

fruit, but here are some examples and references for further reading.

• Kuo (2002) and Weber (1988) discussed morel habitats in general, describing habitats they had seen or heard about, including river bottoms and 

flood plains, burn sites, areas landscaped with wood chips, near old sawmills, near wood piles, and near railroad beds.

Arora joked that 

morels “usually grow 

outdoors.” 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

11

• Weber (1988) described unusual habitats such as fields, dunes, landscaped 

areas, garbage dumps, abandoned coal mines, old mine tailings, cellars 

and basements, and along railroad tracks, but cautioned against eating morels from some of these habitats. 

• Lonik (2002: 31–33) listed 62 places to find morels.

• Thompson (1994) made it clear that even though morels are common in 

riparian (river and stream) forests, they do not appear after heavy flooding.

• Hallen and others (2001) described morels fruiting away from trees in sand 

dunes and open meadows.

• Huffman and Tiffany (2001) mentioned road cuts, excavations, deer trails, 

orchards, and sand bars of rivers.

• Ramsbottom (1953) described morels fruiting in bomb craters, trenches, 

and the ashes of burned buildings after World War II.

• Kaul (1975) said morels fruit in bomb craters, areas where bonfires have 

burned, in limed soils, and soils where ashes have been spread.

• Carpenter and others (1987) and Stamets (1993, 2000) described large 

numbers of morels fruiting in the aftermath of the Mount St. Helens eruption, although the mushrooms were too gritty to clean and eat.

• Obst and Brown (2000) reported that 90 percent of morels found at their 

boreal forest study site fruited on the better drained hummocks of soil 

rather than in low-lying swampy areas.

• A construction worker observed morels growing where sheetrock had been 

allowed to disintegrate outdoors in winter rains.9

• Several authors of this publication have observed morels fruiting in the 

footprints of previous morel hunters.

• Almost any morel hunter will tell you they find some morels where they 

are unexpected.

Trees—Many morels fruit in nondisturbed forests in association with live trees. 

Others fruit in great abundance with trees that are declining, dying, or recently 

dead. Thompson (1994) provided a fascinating tale of the latter situation by recounting his massive morel harvests from 1971 to 1977. As Dutch elm disease (see appendix for scientific names) spread westward across the Midwestern United States, 

he followed the fungal bounty reliably found around the bases of dying and recently 

dead elms. The association of particular morel species with either healthy or moribund trees, and sometimes both, will be discussed in greater detail in the “Biology” 

section. We list a few examples from the literature here.

9 Avery, Lydia. 2006. Sheet-rocking contractor, P.O. Box 260, Alsea, OR 97324.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

12

• Weber (1988) reported morels in Michigan as associated with oak-hickory 

or beech-maple forests, or under sycamore, elm, ash, cottonwood, and 

apple trees.

• Kuo (2005) listed morels in the Eastern United States as associated with 

ash, elm, and tulip trees, and often found in old apple orchards.

• Thompson (1994) found morels with senescent or dying apple trees, justdead cottonwoods, and especially elms.

• Volk and others (1997) described morels fruiting with elm, ash, aspen, tulip poplar, and black cherry.

• Tiffany and others (1998) stated that most morels fruit near elms in Iowa 

and that black morels are rare and only found in upland oak forests on 

limestone outcroppings.

• Boom (1995) described morels in the Sierra Nevada range of California as 

“necrophiles of the alpine forest.” 

• Stamets (2000) described immense crops of morels after the 1988 

Yellowstone forest fires.

• Pilz and others (2004) reported morels fruiting disproportionately in recently burned or insect-infested true fir forests in eastern Oregon.

• McFarlane and others (2005) described morels fruiting most abundantly in 

burned true fir/spruce forests at higher elevations in Montana.

• Keefer (2005) found morels fruiting close to subalpine fir in forest that 

burned the previous summer in British Columbia.

• Winder (2006) cited Canadian herbarium data (Natural Resources Canada 

2005) that indicate M. elata grows in association with domesticated or 

wild members of the Rosaceae such as apple, cherry laurel, and ocean 

spray.

Timing

When do morels fruit? Many reports describe vegetative indicators of what Kuo 

(2005) called “angst relief” for impatient morel hunters. Examples of such signs are 

“when apple trees are in bloom” and “when oak leaves are the size of mouse ears” 

(Hammond 1999). Kuo (2005) provided eight examples, including when lilacs are 

in bloom and trilliums begin to flower. Low (1995) suggested a colorful indicator: 

“...when the hard, brown galls of cedar-apple rust hang their orange, gelatinous 

spore bodies on juniper trees.” Geopyxis carbonaria, another postfire fungus, often 

fruits before burn morels, but is no guarantee morels will follow (Obst and Brown 

2000). Lonik (2002) reported that in the Eastern United States, the morel season 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

13

moves south to north at about 100 miles per week. Kuo (2005) provided a map 

that shows the progression of fruiting northward in the United States and southern 

Canada from the end of February to mid-June. An online progression map can be 

accessed through subscription to the Morel Mushroom Hunting Club at http://www.

morelmushroomhunting.com/.

The bottom line is that morels fruit when winter snow has melted, the soil is 

beginning to warm, and the air is still humid. In any one location, the season can 

last from several weeks to several months depending on rainfall, humidity, topography, and the morel species. Warmth and humidity provide the conditions morels 

need to continue development once they start fruiting. In areas that have hilly or 

mountainous topography, morels will fruit first at low elevation or on south-facing 

slopes that warm up early, then at higher elevations and on north-facing slopes that 

warm up later (Low 1995). Burned soils also warm more quickly than nonburned 

soils because the black surface absorbs infrared radiation better. As with fruiting 

locations, the timing and length of morel fruiting can be unexpected. Although 

morels typically fruit in the spring, Sturgis (1905) reported massive quantities of 

morels fruiting on the 11th of September at 7,000 feet elevation in southwestern 

British Columbia in an aspen and spruce forest that burned the previous summer. 

Equally unusual, Goldway and others (2000) described morels fruiting continuously 

for 8 months in a nature reserve in northern Israel where they grew near a steady 

supply of spring water and under dense shade.

Taxonomy

Kindred organisms—Both Weber (1988) and Kuo (2005) discussed, in general, 

the history of morel taxonomy, the frustrating inaccuracies, and the incompleteness of much of the earliest work. We will not expand upon their discussions here, 

other than to note two important early descriptions (Persoon 1797: 36, Fries 1822: 

5) that are referenced by Weber (1988), and a French treatise on morel species by 

Constantin (1936).

Arora (1986), Kuo (2005, 2006), and Weber (1988) all provided general discussions of morel taxonomy. Descriptions of the genus Morchella can be found in 

Arora (1986: 785), Hanlin and Hahn (1990: 66), Jacquetant (1984), Smith and others 

(1981: 53), and Weber (1988: 128-129).

O’Donnell and others (1997) applied molecular methods of genetic analysis in 

order to better understand the evolutionary relations between Morchella and other 

closely related fungi. In many instances, such methods are modifying our understanding of how organisms are related to each other, and taxonomic discussions in 

Morels fruit when 

winter snow has 

melted, the soil is 

beginning to warm, 

and the air is still 

humid.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

14

older field guides often are outdated. The following classification scheme illustrates 

the position of Morchella and the related “look-alike” genera Verpa and Gyromitra

in taxonomic context by using family and genus arrangements as per O’Donnell 

and others (1997).

Kingdom Fungi

Phylum Ascomycota

Subphylum Pezizomycotina

Class Pezizomycetes 

 Order Pezizales

Family Morchellaceae

Genus Morchella (true morels)

Genus Verpa (thimble morels)

Family Discinaceae 

Genus Gyromitra (false morels, lorchels)

Rather than rigid hierarchical categories of relationships based on observable 

characters, such as the outlined classification scheme above, the analogy of a “tree 

of life” is now often used to describe how closely organisms are related (Lutzoni 

and others 2004) and how long ago they had common ancestors or branching 

points. For instance, Birren and others (2003) and Galagan and others (2005) 

suggested morels diverged from related fungal lineages in the Mesozoic era about 

100 to 150 million years ago. Discoveries of this nature are occurring at an increasingly rapid pace and redefining taxonomy. In an effort to keep up with the pace of 

discovery, collaborative Web sites are being used to compile the information. Taylor 

and others (1996) are coordinating the Ascomycete branch of the Tree of Life Web 

Project (http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Ascomycota&contgroup=Fungi) where current information can be found.

Morel species—Morel taxonomy above the level of species is not controversial, but 

when morel species are discussed, calling the field “problematic” is an understatement (Weber 1995). The Index Fungorum online database (http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp) lists 196 species and subspecies worldwide (CABI and 

others n.d.). Hallen and others (2001) estimated that more than 100 morel species 

have been described based on their morphological features. These are features of 

form (size and shape) or other characteristics (for instance, color or texture) that 

can be observed either macroscopically (with the naked eye) or microscopically. 

Examples of morel features that are often described include color of ridges, pits, and 

stem; configuration of the ridges; spore size and shape; attachment of the head to 

the stem; texture of head and stem; discoloration and bruising; stem wall thickness 

Calling morel taxonomy 

“problematic” is an 

understatement.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

15

or layering; and changes in such features as a morel ages. The problem is that morels are extremely polymorphic (able to exhibit a wide variety of forms), and such 

observable features often intergrade among described or presumed species.

Such polymorphism undoubtedly has a genetic component, but environmental 

conditions such as moisture and sunlight also can affect the growth, development, 

form, size, and color of morel fruiting bodies. For instance, Jung and others (1993) 

asserted that the tan, gray, and large forms of the eastern yellow morel are actually 

all one polymorphic species in the clade of yellow morels.10 Morels can change color in response to ultraviolet radiation (Jacobs 1982) and grow quite large if conditions of warmth and humidity are favorable. Thompson (1994), in his autobiography 

of a lifetime of picking morels, claimed that variations in morel appearance seemed 

to be consistently related to the type of trees growing where he found the morels, so 

perhaps such food sources also play a role in determining morphology. Royse and 

May (1990) also found little correspondence between variation in allozyme patterns 

(an enzymatic analysis of genetic variation) and morphological characters. The 

interplay between genetic variation, morel nutrition, and the environmental conditions influencing development of the fruiting body are likely quite complex.

In addition to morphology, fungal species can be delineated based on the ability 

to interbreed, long-term isolation of populations (for instance, geographic isolation), 

or consistent differences in the genetic makeup. Unfortunately, mating trials with 

morels are difficult to conduct. Getting colonies of fungi to grow together (compatible) or to exhibit inhibition zones (not compatible) is an easy, but not always 

definitive, laboratory procedure. To demonstrate full mating compatibility, the 

reproductive cycle must be completed with the production of morel fruiting bodies 

and spores. This process is difficult for reasons that we will discuss under the section on attempts at commercial cultivation. Similarly, just because populations have 

been geographically isolated for extended periods of time from other populations, 

does not necessarily mean they have diverged sufficiently to be considered separate 

species. So how can species of morels be distinguished? There is no one criterion 

that is ideal for all circumstances, but molecular techniques of genetic analysis are 

gaining broader acceptance (Taylor and others 2000).

Studies of genetic differentiation and speciation among morels have yielded 

some interesting results. For instance, Jung and others (1993), Bunyard and others 

(1994, 1995), and Wipf and others (1996a) reported more genetic variation between 

10Because many North American morels might not yet have valid scientific names, their use 

by the authors we cite must be considered the equivalent of using imprecise common names. 

We default in our discussion to the common names listed in table 1.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

16

distant populations of morels within the same species than between different morel 

species (although these results might in some cases reflect inaccurate species 

delineations). Similarly, Wipf and others (1999) reported that the genetic differences 

between black and yellow morel clades approach the magnitude of the differences 

between the genera Morchella and Verpa.

Molecular methods of genetic analysis are being applied with increasing 

sophistication to the question of how many species of morels actually exist in 

North America and whether they deserve different scientific names than species 

previously described in Europe. The literature on this topic is technical, sometimes 

contradictory, often narrowly focused, and potentially compromised by the lack of 

valid scientific names. Unless one is a specialist and familiar with all the publications, the implications of such research can be confusing. For readers who wish to 

explore the progress of such studies, they are listed here in chronological order: 

Gessner and others (1987), Yoon and others (1990), Royse and May (1990), Jung 

and others (1993), O’Donnell and others (1993), Bunyard and others (1994 1995), 

Gessner (1995), Buscot and others (1996), Wipf and others (1996a, 1996b, 1999), 

and O’Donnell and others (2003). Although Gessner (1995) preceded some of the 

other papers, it is a review paper that can help the reader put this field of research in 

perspective. 

We summarize some of the conclusions that have been derived from these 

studies. Bunyard and others (1994, 1995) asserted that there are probably only 

three major groups of morels (black, yellow, and half-free morels) and speculated 

that there were probably only a few polymorphic species based on their samples. 

O’Donnell and others (1993) discerned 12 distinct morel species or species complexes from 150 morel collections in North America and Europe, although this was 

only a conference abstract with no indication of how representative the samples 

were. In a second abstract, O’Donnell and others (2003) described analyzing a 

global collection of 600 morel specimens. Twenty-eight species were identified, and 

they fit into two clades (groups of similar species). Thirteen species fell into the 

yellow-tan-gray “esculenta” clade, and 15 into the black “elata” clade. Twenty-four 

of the 28 species were found on only one continent. North America appeared to be 

the ancestral home of Morchella and had the greatest diversity of morels with 13 

endemic species—4 yellow and 9 black.

Kuo (2006) has summarized recent unpublished evidence about morel 

species on his Web site entitled The Morel Data Collection Project http://www.

mushroomexpert.com/morels/mordat.html and in his book (Kuo 2005). Kuo concluded that there are likely more than a dozen North American species. He asserted 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

17

that yellow morels are actually two look-alike species in the east, but that neither 

occurs in California; rather, the similar species growing in coastal California is 

the same as M. rufobrunnea in Mexico. He also affirms that what has been called 

M. crassipes in the Eastern United States is simply a very large form of the yellow 

morel. In the Western United States, results published by Pilz and others (2004) 

differ from recent species descriptions posted on The Morel Data Collection Project 

Web pages (Kuo 2006), especially concerning green and pink morels as putative 

burn species. Readers interested in the evolving field of morel taxonomy will have 

plenty of interesting new developments to contemplate in the years to come.

It is important to note, however, that simply discerning distinct species is only 

the first step in resolving their taxonomic status. To be recognized as a species with 

an acceptable scientific name, appropriate collections must be accessioned to a public herbarium and a taxonomist must publish a thorough description of the vouchered collection specimens. Naming and publishing must be in accordance with the 

International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Greuter and others 2000). Ideally, a 

sufficient number of specimens will have documented collection information so that 

a tentative range for the species, as well as its typical habitat and fruiting conditions, can be described. Once a species has been validly named, then that scientific 

name is available for use. Most morels in North America lack scientific names that 

meet the standards of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. 

Given the preceding discussion, readers are advised to treat the names in table 

1 and the following species descriptions as subject to change in the near future. 

This information is presented here as a synopsis of our current understanding of 

morels in western North America.

Species Descriptions

Publications like this often include a key before species descriptions; the reader can 

use such keys to determine the species of a specimen by choosing among series of 

alternate choices about morphological characters or habitat preferences. We have 

chosen not to include such a key because the taxonomy of western morels is still in 

flux and the identity of some of the putative species described below is tentative. 

The names “natural black,” “green,” “pink,” “gray,” and “mountain blond” morels 

derive from the 2004 publication by Pilz and others, which provides a field key to 

these putative species (the only species that were found on the sites in the study). 

Alternative common names that we list are those we have encountered in harvester 

vernacular and other sources of information. All such names are problematic and, 

as noted elsewhere, valid scientific names would be much preferable if they were 

available.

Most morels in 

North America lack 

scientific names that 

meet the standards 

of the International 

Code of Botanical 

Nomenclature. 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

18

None of the following descriptions constitute formal, complete, or technical species descriptions. Instead, they are intended to provide readers with some 

relevant details concerning the appearance of the morels that we discuss. Adequate 

descriptions for the pink, green, and mountain blond morels will require systematic 

assessment of fresh and dried features of specimens that have been confirmed to be 

genetically distinct. It is likely that some western morel species have not yet been 

identified, let alone described. Readers who wish to assist with collections for such 

analyses should refer to pertinent publications (Mueller and others 2004, Weber and 

others 1997) and contact interested taxonomists regarding their preferred collecting 

and description procedures.

Descriptions for the natural black, pink, green, gray, and mountain blond 

morels are excerpted and modified from Pilz and others (2004). Descriptions for the 

yellow and half-free morel are adapted with minor modification from Weber (1988). 

Guzmán and Tapia’s The Known Morels in Mexico, a Description of a New Blushing Species, Morchella rufobrunnea, and New Data on M. guatemalensis (1998) 

was consulted for the description of the red-brown blushing morel.

Natural black morel—also called black morel, conica, and angusticep (fig. 1).

Description—Head: in profile broadly rounded, conic to irregularly ellipsoid 

when young, often broadening especially near the stalk as it matures. Ribs: minutely and inconspicuously velvety when young, becoming dry and smooth with age; 

shades of dull grayish tan, steely gray, or dark brownish gray when young, becoming black by maturity; edges typically remain intact and sterile. Pits: dull grayish 

tan to steely gray when young, grayish tan or light brown in age. Stalk: ivory to 

light tan or washed with dusky rose when young, varying to tan or rosy tan in age; 

surface smooth at first, appearing grainy in age; never brown to black. Spore size:

(23-)11 26–33 x 15–16 (-18) μm.12

Ecology—This common morel fruits on nonburned soils, litter, and duff including nonburned islands in burned areas. When found on burned soils, they apparently fruit no sooner than the second spring after an intense wildfire.

11Extreme values listed in parentheses.

12 Fungal spores are often measured in micrometers (μm). A micrometer is one millionth of a 

meter in length or 1/25,000th of an inch. This unit of measure is also called a micron.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

19

Comments—The name “natural” for this black morel derives from commercial 

harvesters who collect them from nonburned or nondisturbed forests, hence fruiting 

under what they referred to as “natural” conditions. Arora (1986) diplomatically 

circumvents the controversy surrounding an appropriate scientific name for this 

species or group of species by referring to it as “the so-called ‘M. elata-M. angusticeps-M. conica’ complex.” It appears to be widespread, common, and is routinely 

harvested from nonburned forests in the Pacific Northwest. Black morels, that we 

believe were this species, fruited prolifically in nonburned but insect-killed, grand 

fir stands on the Lakeview Ranger District of the Fremont National Forest, Oregon, 

in 1994 (Weber and others 1996). Pilz and others (2004) reported this morel as the 

most abundant on their nonburned plots (both healthy and insect-killed forests) and 

it also fruited the second year (but not the first) following a fire on burned plots.

Figure 1­—

David Pilz

Natural black morel.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

20

Pink morel—previously lumped with those referred to as angusticeps, conicas, 

burn, fire, or black morels

(No definitive image available)

Description—Head: at first elongate conic with rounded conic apex, sometimes 

expanding to broadly conic in age. Ribs: not conspicuously velvety when young, 

becoming dry and smooth in age; cream-colored to pale shell pink when young, 

typically black well before maturity; edges typically remain intact, sometimes with 

a fertile strip down the center. Pits cream-colored to dusky pink or pinkish tan 

when young, becoming pinkish tan to light pinkish brown at maturity. Stalk: white 

or nearly so at all ages; smooth at first becoming slightly grainy in age; never brown 

to black. Spore size: 21–24 x 13–16 μm.

Ecology—Fruiting likely restricted to burned soils the first spring or early summer after an autumn fire, but in very small quantities, if at all, thereafter.

Comments—Although genetically distinct (Pilz and others 2004) from the 

natural black morel, and fruiting under different ecological circumstances (burned 

versus nonburned forests), this species has not been differentiated in current field 

guides. Additional work will be necessary to describe reliable differences in appearance from the green morel, and possibly other species, that fruit in the same 

habitat and ecological conditions (burned soils). 

Green morel—also previously lumped with those referred to as angusticeps, conicas, burn, fire, or black morels

(No definitive image available)

Description—Head: at first elongate-conic with rounded conic apex, sometimes expanding to broadly conic in age. Ribs: not conspicuously velvety when 

young, becoming dry and smooth in age; gray when young, becoming black well 

before maturity; edges typically remain intact, sometimes with a fertile strip 

down the center. Pits: dark gray to dark olive gray when young, olive gray to olive 

brownish gray in age. Stalk: white or nearly so at all ages; smooth at first becoming 

slightly grainy in age, never brown to black. Spore size: 20–24 x 13–16 μm.

Ecology—Fruiting likely restricted to burned soils the first spring or early summer after a fall fire, but in very small quantities, if at all, thereafter.

Comments—The natural black, pink, and green morels we describe all key out 

to Morchella elata complex, M. conica, or M. angusticeps, depending on the reference used. Kuo (2006) suggested that what we call pink and green morels actually 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

21

are part of a complex of more than two species and that morphological differences 

remain inadequately described to distinguish among them without DNA analysis. 

From an observational perspective, commercial harvesters see more morels than 

scientists do, and although their methods of drawing conclusions might not be as 

systematic or precise, harvesters invariably recognize differences in the mushrooms 

they collect. For instance, one experienced harvester states:

Some harvesters already distinguish the green species of black fire morel, 

calling them “pickles.” They assert that compared to other black fire morels, 

green morels dry and re-hydrate differently, are more robust, bruise reddish or 

brown, and fruit later in the season when gray morels begin to appear.13

Gray morels—also called fuzzy foot morel, black stocking morel, or black foot 

morel (fig. 2).

Description—Head: elongate-ovoid to nearly columnar when young, expanding variously in age. Ribs: conspicuously velvety/hairy when young, the hairs 

collapsing with age; silvery gray to charcoal gray when young; gray to black at 

maturity where intact; edges extremely fragile, soon cracking and breaking away 

to expose the white to ivory underlying tissue; lacking fertile tissue. Pits: deep gray 

to nearly black when young, varying from gray to tan to dark ivory in age. Stalk:

charcoal gray to nearly black when young, becoming pale gray to tan to ivory at 

13Evans, Larry. 2005. Personal communication. President, Western Montana Mycological 

Association, P.O. Box 7306, Missoula, MT 59807.

Figure 2­—A series of photographs illustrating color changes in a maturing gray morel. Photographs taken June 

25, July 2, and July 9, 2003, at the Livengood Fire (78 miles NW of Fairbanks, AK). Note varied scales (spruce 

needle size) and lighting in each photograph.

Karl Olson
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

22

maturity; densely velvety from projecting hyphae when young; the velvety layer 

stretched apart leaving tufts of brown hyphal tips on an ivory, off-white, or pale tan 

background in age. Spore size: 19–25 x 13–16 μm.

Ecology—The gray morel fruits in conifer forests and is found abundantly the 

first spring or summer after a wildfire and in reduced numbers the second postfire 

year. It is found in greatest abundance at high elevations and northern latitudes. Its 

fruiting season of late spring into summer (McFarlane and others 2005) follows, but 

overlaps, the fruiting of the pink and green burn morels.

Comments—McFarlane and others (2005) described the gray morel as being 

large, heavy, and durable, and as having a “double wall,” a feature that refers to 

alternating darker and lighter layers of flesh seen when the stem is cut in cross section during harvesting. The gray morel is a good match for what McKnight (1987) 

called the “burn site morel” or Morchella atrotomentosa (Moser) Bride. Because 

Moser (1949) described M. esculenta var. atrotomentosa as a “nov. var. ad.[sic] int.” 

or “temporary new variety,” not as an unqualified new variety, it is not considered 

to have been published in accordance with the International Code of Botanical 

Nomenclature (Greuter and others 2000). Thus neither that name nor combinations based on that name are available for valid scientific use. This morel would 

not currently be considered a close relative of M. esculenta anyway. Although the 

common name of “gray” morel is widely used for this species in the Pacific Northwest; in eastern North America, young specimens of some yellow morels also are 

called “gray” morels (Weber 1988:103). Kuo (2006) called this morel the “fuzzy 

foot” morel to avoid using color attributions, because the color of the fruiting body 

changes as it matures.

Mountain blond morel—also called western blond morel (fig. 3).

Description—Head: columnar to narrowly obtusely conic when young, variously expanding with maturity but typically remaining relatively narrow in relation 

to height. Ribs: essentially glabrous when young, becoming dry and waxy in age; 

pale grayish tan when young, ivory to pale tan in age and then often with rusty 

ochre stains; edges typically remain intact and are sterile. Pits: light smoky gray 

when young, near straw yellow or the color of a manila folder in age. Stalk: ivory 

to cream-colored, sometimes with rust-colored or amber discolorations; smooth. 

Spore size: 23–26 (-28) x 14.3–16 (-18) μm.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

23

Ecology—Both the mountain blond and yellow morels occur in western North 

America, but the mountain blond morel appears to be more commonly found in 

conifer forests (especially true fir, lodgepole, or ponderosa pine forests), whereas 

yellow morels are found more often in riparian hardwood forests that are sometimes mixed with conifers (Pilz and others 2004). Kuo (2006) called this putative 

species the “western blond” morel, and suggested that it also can be found among 

hardwoods at lower elevations and that it is primarily distinguished from the yellow 

morel by the morphological features described in the next paragraph.

Comments—The mountain blond morel closely resembles yellow morels 

(M. esculenta in the broad sense). In parts of Oregon, these two morels are often 

lumped together as “esculentas.” However, a close comparison of specimens with 

most descriptions of M. esculenta from Europe or elsewhere in North America 

reveals differences. Unlike members of the yellow morel complex centered on 

M. esculenta, the head is relatively narrow rather than oval or rounded, especially 

in young specimens. Also, the primary ribs are strongly vertical and relatively 

straight, thus producing elongated pits rather than the rounded to somewhat 

irregular pits generally attributed to M. esculenta.

Figure 3—The mountain 

blond morel (center), 

compared to two natural 

black morels (either side). 

All specimens found on 

the Sisters Ranger District, 

Deschutes National Forest, 

in a pine forest that had been 

thinned the year before, but 

David Pilz

not burned.
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Yellow morel—Also called esculentas, common morel, and many other common 

names (fig. 4).

Description— Head: oval to subcylindrical or slightly tapered toward the apex, 

but seldom strongly conic. Ribs: at first similar in color to pits and close together, 

gradually spreading as the head expands and becoming paler than the pits; usually white to creamy white, then stained rusty yellow or dingy brown; more waxy 

than velvety; collapsing or flaking away in old age. Pits: generally more round 

than elongate in maturity; pale dingy gray to tan when young, becoming tan, dull 

ochraceous, or golden tan as spores mature. Stalk: off-white to ivory or pale cream 

color; appearing covered with fine meal in youth; surface layer stretched apart in 

age; base often enlarged, appearing pleated or gathered. Spore size: 21–25 (-28) x 

12–16 μm.

Ecology—This species is usually found in riparian forest of willow, cottonwood, alder, or ash, or sometimes in oak forests or fruit orchards, In the west, black 

morels are more abundant at high elevations than yellow morels, although their 

ranges overlap (Arora 1986). 

Comments—Yellow morels are less common in western than in eastern North 

America. In western montane forests that consist solely of conifer tree species, 

light-colored morels might more likely be the mountain blond morel. Along coastal 

California, yellow morels are likely the red-brown blushing morel, Morchella 

rufobrunnea.

Figure 4—

Yellow morel.

Pamela Kaminski, http://www.pamelasmushrooms.com/
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

25

Red-brown blushing morel—Morchella rufobrunnea (fig. 5).

Description—Head: conical to subconical to ovoid when mature. Ribs: whitish 

to grayish when young, becoming yellowish, brownish, or brownish-yellow with 

age. Pits: vertically elongate when young, becoming irregularly shaped with age. 

Stalk: irregularly wrinkled near base with minute dark granules toward the top; 

whitish to cream, pale gray, darker grayish brown, yellowish toward base, blushing in irregular spots brown, brownish orange, or pinkish red to ferruginous when 

injured or maturing (both head and stalk), sometimes almost completely reddish 

brown. Spore size: (19-) 20–24 (-25.5) x (13-) 14–16 (-17) μm.

Ecology—Growing in moist subtropical oak, sweetgum, white-alder (Clethra), 

and alder forests in the Xalapa region of Mexico. Perhaps also along coastal California in landscaping mulch.

Comments—Kuo (2005, 2006) suggested that what has been identified as M. 

deliciosa in California is actually M. rufobrunnea. He also suggested that M. rufobrunnea was the morel that Ower described cultivating in his first patent (Ower and 

others 1986), rather than M. esculenta. At the time of the patent, M. rufobrunnea

had not yet been described and was not yet suspected as a separate species along 

coastal California. M. guatemalensis and M. herediana are other morel species 

that occur in subtropical regions of Mexico and Central America, but do not range 

further into North America (Guzmán and Tapia 1998).

Figure 5—

Red-brown 

blushing 

morel.

Hugh E. Smith, http://www.hughsmith.org/
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26

Half-free morel—Morchella semilibera (fig. 6).

Description— Head: often taller than broad, subcylindric to broadly conic 

with a rounded to truncated apex when young; often broader than tall in age; up to 

one-half of the lower part of the head and margin free of the stalk and forming a 

skirt, otherwise attached to stalk in the same manner as other morels. Ribs: often 

running from the top to the bottom of the head with irregular cross-ribs; ribs broad, 

flat, moist to velvety in youth, and collapsing and darkening to dark grayish brown 

or black in age. Pits: grayish tan when young, grayish tan to tan at maturity. Stalk: 

ivory white to dull creamy yellow, surface scurfy as if dusted with fine cornmeal or 

bran, elongating to 2.5 to 3 times the length of the head with age; tapering toward 

the apex, swelling especially at the base, and becoming fragile. Spore size: (19.5-) 

22.5–26 (-30) x (12-) 14–17 (-21) μm.

Ecology—Occurring under conifers, cottonwoods, and alder. Fruiting is erratic.

Comments—The half-free morel in the western North America might be a 

different species than that in the east. Kuo (2005) mentioned a half-free morel from 

Oregon that differs genetically from the eastern half-free morel. He also suggested 

that both are different from the European M. semilibera. If so, new scientific 

names might be forthcoming, but the half-free morel is morphologically distinctive 

and for now we chose to retain the use of the scientific name M. semilibera. The 

habitat of this morel is similar to both the edible yellow morel and the potentially 

poisonous Verpa bohemica or “early morel.” Be sure to check whether the head is 

attached to the stem part way down. This is best discerned by cutting the specimen 

in half lengthwise from top to bottom for a longitudinal-section view. If the head 

is attached to the stem halfway down, it is an edible half-free morel; if the head is 

attached only at the top of the stem, it is a potentially poisonous Verpa.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

27

Figure 6—Half-free morel (Morchella semilibera).

Pamela Kaminski, http://www.pamelasmushrooms.com/
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28

Potentially harmful look-alikes—Two closely related genera of mushrooms have 

potentially harmful species that could be mistaken for morels by the inexperienced 

harvester. These are Verpa (the thimble morels) and Gyromitra (the false morels or 

lorchels). Some people consume some species in these genera, and Verpa bohemica

is sometimes sold commercially. However, some species in these genera are potentially toxic, especially if improperly cooked, and are best avoided. Arora (1986), 

Kuo (2005), and Weber (1988) provide good descriptions of these genera and species, as do most mushroom field guides. Figure 7 illustrates key differences in appearance between Morchella species and representative Verpa and Gyromitra species. Species in the related genera Helvella (elfin saddles), Disciotis (veined brown 

cup fungus), and Discina (pig’s ears) are not shown because their features are easily 

distinguished from the pitted and ridged heads of morels. Readers are encouraged 

to familiarize themselves with the differences among all these genera before collecting true morels. This publication is not an identification guide. The reader is responsible for her or his own health. For further information about the risk of eating 

these mushrooms, see the section on “Toxins and Contaminants.”
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

29

Figure 7—Comparison of three genera sometimes referred to as “morels”: Morchella, Gyromitra, and Verpa. 

Some species in the genera Gyromitra and Verpa contain poisonous compounds and should be avoided. 

Illustrations by Margaret Herring. Reprinted from Wurtz and others (2005: 8).
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Biology

Overview—The broad ecological amplitude and environmental plasticity discussed 

by Wedin and others (2004) were considered adaptations to environments that experience unpredictable periods of rapid change. These strategies could prove useful to 

morels because they live in forests that experience episodic and catastrophic events 

such as wildfires, insect infestations, windstorms, volcanism, earthquakes, floods 

and, more recently, human-caused disturbances such as logging. To understand how 

morels seem unique among edible forest fungi in their adaptations, it is necessary 

to understand their life cycle, modes of nutrition, and reproductive strategies.14 We 

begin with a brief overview of how fungi live and reproduce in order to clarify how 

morels differ from most other harvested forest mushrooms. Then we describe the 

sequential stages of a morel life cycle.

Mushrooms are the reproductive structure of some types of fungi. They generally are fleshy and have a stem and a cap or (in the case of morels) a head. Mushrooms are one type of “sporocarp” meaning “spore-bearing fruit or structure.” 

Conks and truffles are examples of others. Sporocarps are also commonly called 

“fruit bodies” or “fruiting bodies” (American usage), although they are not technically “fruits” like those formed by plants.

Fungi are an entire branch on the tree of life, and actually shared a common 

ancestor with animals more recently than either did with plants. Many types of 

fungi, for instance yeasts, live as single cells. Others, such as the fungi that produce 

mushrooms, form filamentous multicellular structures that can be quite large. They 

do this by producing one-cell-wide strings of cells called hyphae (hypha singular). 

These threadlike hyphae often form dense interconnecting webs. Such webs of 

hyphae are called mycelia or mycelial colonies. A mycelium (singular) would typically represent a colony formed by a genetically distinct individual, and a collection 

of separate genetically distinct mycelial colonies would be called mycelia (plural). 

As we will see, morel mycelial colonies cannot simply be considered genetically 

distinct individuals as are the mycelia of many other mushroom-producing fungi.

14Technical mycological and genetic terminology is necessary to clearly explain these topics. 

Potentially unfamiliar concepts are explained and the glossary contains definitions for some 

of the less common terms we use. Ulloa and Hanlin (2000) and Kirk and others (2001) also 

provided definitions of mycological terms. King and Stansfield (2002) and Rédei (2003) can 

be consulted for genetic terminology, although a good, recent, standard dictionary is likely 

adequate. For the sake of brevity, many topics are incompletely explained, some scientific 

terminology is avoided, and exceptions to generalizations are sometimes not mentioned. Our 

intent is to provide a wide range of readers with a basic understanding of how morels differ 

from other important wild edible mushrooms; the implications that these differences have for 

understanding morel biology, ecology, and reproduction; and how the differences relate to 

managing forests for sustainable morel harvesting opportunities. 

To understand 

how morels seem 

unique among 

edible forest fungi 

in their adaptations, 

it is necessary to 

understand their 

life cycle, modes 

of nutrition, and 

reproductive strategies.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

31

The mycelia of multicellular fungi live and grow inside their food sources. Because fungi do not have chlorophyll, they cannot produce their own food and must 

obtain it elsewhere. Fungi absorb nutrients directly through their cell walls from the 

nutritional substrate in which they grow. They also can excrete enzymes that break 

down resistant compounds (such as lignin in wood) into simpler molecules that can 

then be absorbed. Among fungi as a group, almost any other organism can serve 

as a source of food, even other fungi. Each species of fungus, however, usually 

concentrates on just a few types or sources of nutrition. These can be living or dead 

organisms. Fungi that eat (decompose) dead organisms are called saprobes. Fungi 

that kill or harm the live organisms they are consuming are called parasites. But 

many fungi have evolved mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relations with photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. In these cases, the host 

organism derives some benefit from the fungus in return for providing the fungus 

with food. Perhaps the most important such symbiosis is mycorrhizal. The term 

mycorrhiza (mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas plural) literally means “fungus-root.” 

Mycorrhizae are dual organs of absorption common to almost all land plants. The 

fungal hyphae actually grow among, and in some cases into, the outer cells of the 

plant’s root tips. This is the zone where nutrients are exchanged between the fungus 

and the plant. The hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi also grow out into the soil, where 

their mycelial web creates what is functionally a vastly larger fine root system for 

the plant than it could produce itself. The fungus absorbs water and mineral nutrients with its mycelial network and shares them with the host plant, and in return the 

fungus absorbs carbohydrates from the plant’s roots. This symbiotic relationship 

between fungi and plant roots likely played a key role in the successful colonization 

of land by formerly aquatic plants. For years, morels were considered saprobes, 

decomposing organic matter in the soil, but as we will see, some are now believed 

to have the ability to form mycorrhizae and other unique fungus-root structures. 

Fungi that produce mushrooms can reproduce both sexually and asexually 

(without sex). In effect, when most fungal cells divide, they are cloning themselves 

(producing a genetically identical copy). For instance, a hyphal cell from a mycelial 

colony might get stuck to the leg of an insect and deposited elsewhere. If that cell 

continues to divide, it would produce another genetically identical mycelial colony 

in the new location. Multicellular fungi primarily reproduce with spores; these are 

the fungal equivalent of seeds, although spores are single-celled and much smaller 

than seeds. Spores can be either sexual or asexual. Morels produce a type of asexual 

spore called a conidium (conidia plural, also called a conidiospore). These are the 

equivalent of a hyphal segment creating a new clonal colony, but the fungus does 

it intentionally by producing a spore, designed for dispersal, on a special hyphal 
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32

structure called a conidiophore. Asexual spores typically have the entire genetic 

complement of the mycelium that produces them. Whether asexual spores produced 

by morels have the entire genetic complement of the mycelium is not yet known.

One difference between sexual and asexual spores is that sexual spores typically have half the genetic material (haploid) of the mycelial colony that produced 

the sporocarp. Such haploid spores are produced by a process called meiosis, the 

same process that produces sperm or eggs in mammals. Most edible mushrooms are 

the fruiting bodies of fungi classified as Basidiomycetes. Morels and most culinary 

truffles (such as those in the genus Tuber) are members of the Ascomycetes, however. These two major branches of fungi are named after the type of structure (basidia or asci) where meiosis occurs and the sexual spores are formed. For instance, 

with matsutake, chanterelles, and boletes, basidia are found on the sides of the gills, 

covering the ridges under the cap, or inside the pores under the cap, respectively. In 

morels, asci are found on the surface of the pits in the heads.

Understanding how morel (Ascomycete) reproduction differs from that of 

most other edible (Basidiomycete) fungi requires a cursory explanation of fungal 

genetics. Genetic information in the nucleus of each cell resides on DNA molecules called chromosomes. Complex organisms have sets of a certain number of 

chromosomes; the particular number of chromosomes in the set is usually a trait 

that is common to members of a shared taxonomic grouping. It has not yet been 

determined how many different chromosomes Morchella has. Each chromosome 

in the set is different, that is, it has different genes coded along its length than the 

other chromosomes in the set. In a haploid condition (for instance a sexual spore), 

each cell nucleus has only one copy of each chromosome in the set. These nuclei are 

referred to as haploid nuclei. Diploid nuclei have two copies of each chromosome. 

In a diploid nucleus, the paired copies of each chromosome are called homologous chromosomes. Homologous means that each of the paired chromosomes has 

the same genes at the same places along their lengths, but because the genes on 

each chromosome can differ slightly, the chromosomes are not identical. These 

slight variations in the genes on homologous chromosomes are called alleles. An 

example of allelic variation of a gene would be different alleles of the gene that 

codes for hair color. A useful analogy is to think of the two chromosomes in a pair 

as two libraries of books (genes). Both libraries contain the same books in the same 

order on their shelves but the individual libraries (chromosomes) might contain 

different editions (alleles) of any one book. During meiosis, the diploid nuclear 

state of the fungus individual is reduced to a haploid state in the sexual spore. In 

the process, the allele for a particular gene can be derived from either of the paired 

homologous chromosomes in the parent. Continuing the analogy above, this would 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

33

be like creating a new library by photocopying each book, but selecting only one 

edition from either, but not both, of the original libraries. This reorganization of 

parental alleles on the chromosomes of the haploid sexual propagules ensures no 

two offspring receive the same set of alleles on their chromosomes, even if they 

have the same parents.

Animals and plants are diploid throughout their entire lives because two sets of 

homologous chromosomes pair up into a diploid nucleus during fertilization. Many 

fungi, by contrast, can grow for periods of time with only one haploid nucleus (or 

multiple copies of the same haploid nucleus) per cell. This situation is common 

when sexual spores germinate and grow for a while in search of other haploid 

hyphae that are compatible for mating. Fungi do not have genders in the sense of 

different male and female features, but they do have mating types that must be 

compatible. 

Among Basidiomycetes, a haploid hypha of one mating type typically finds 

and fuses (anastomoses) with another haploid hypha with compatible mating-type 

genes. The two compatible haploid nuclei from these fused hyphae just pair up in 

each cell of the newly formed mycelium without combining to form the single diploid nucleus usually observed in plants and animals. These fungal hyphae are called 

dikaryotic (Chang and Miles 2004: 58). A karyon is a nucleus containing DNA, so a 

dikaryon is an organism having two nuclei per cell. In this case, however, the nuclei 

are haploid, consist of compatible mating types, and are paired. Such cells have the 

full genetic complement needed to sexually reproduce through the DNA-swapping 

and chromosome-halving process called meiosis, but the paired haploid nuclei in 

each cell do not actually fuse for this process until immediately before meiosis 

begins in the sporocarp. 

The nuclear state of a typical morel mycelium, however, is different than many 

of the mushroom-producing fungi in the Basidiomycetes. Morel hyphal cells have 

long been observed to have many nuclei per cell. This is called a multikaryotic or 

multinucleate condition. Recent genetic analysis suggests that, like many Ascomycetes, these are not just multiple copies of the same haploid nuclei, but that many 

different haploid nuclei co-exist unpaired in the typical morel mycelium. Because 

the nuclei differ, this is called a hetero-karyotic condition. Morels might also be 

capable of the highly unusual feat of haploid meiosis. In mammals, the equivalent 

would be a haploid female growing from an unfertilized egg and then mating with 

herself to produce offspring. We will discuss the implications of these features for 

morel reproduction and management later in this section. Morel hyphae also can 

coalesce to form a number of other interesting structures that we discuss as we 

come to them (fig. 8).

Morels might be 

capable of the highly 

unusual feat of haploid 

meiosis.
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Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

35

Mycelia—Let us start our examination of the morel life cycle with a germinating 

sexual spore. Such spores are released from one of the microscopic asci lining the 

pits in the morel head. Asci are specialized, elongated sac-like cells where sexual 

spores develop; hence these spores are called ascospores. Morel ascospores have 

15 to 30 or more haploid nuclei per spore at maturity (Weber 1988). Thus when 

an ascospore germinates, the resulting hyphae are already multinucleate or multikaryotic, that is, each cell has multiple copies of the unique haploid nucleus that 

was formed during meiosis. The linearly arranged cells that form morel hyphae are 

separated by walls called septa that have pores (Hervey and others 1978, Kendrick 

2001). Physiological processes control the passage of cytoplasm (cell contents), 

nutrients, moisture, and nuclei through these pores. These septa allow researchers 

to determine how many nuclei exist in each cell. Morel mycelia are almost always 

multinucleate. They average 10 to 15 nuclei per cell but can range up to 65 (Hervey 

and others 1978, Volk and Leonard 1990).

The initial haploid hyphae of all sexually reproducing multicellular fungi must 

fuse with other hyphae (or propagules) containing different haploid nuclei (with 

compatible mating types) in order to complete a sexual life cycle. Morel hyphae 

anastomose readily and frequently (Volk and Leonard 1989a, 1990). The result 

of these frequent fusions among morel hyphae is a heterokaryotic mycelium; 

that is, many different haploid nuclei coexist in the same hyphae and mycelium 

(Arkan 1992, Volk and Leonard 1989a). Although heterokaryosis is common in 

some groups of fungi, it is not common among the fungi that produce most edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, matsutake, or boletes. Stott and Mohammed 

(2004) stated that heterokaryotic cells are found in the vegetative hyphae, sclerotia, 

and sporocarps of morels. Volk and Leonard (1990) suggested that there might be 

pairing of haploid nuclei with compatible mating types within the heterokaryotic 

mycelium of morels, but such pairing is not as prominent as in fungi that typically 

Figure 8 (opposite)—The life cycle of true morels. Ascospores are the sexual spores of morels, resulting from 

the process of meiosis. They are produced in asci, which are found lining the pits of a morel head. Ascospores 

are often ejected forcefully from the tip of the asci. They typically contain multiple copies of the same unique 

haploid nucleus and when they germinate, they form haploid hyphae, also with multiple copies of the same 

nucleus. The right box illustrates the formation of heterokaryotic mycelia. Among many edible forest fungi, the 

hyphae from only two haploid spores fuse to form a dikaryotic mycelium. Among morels, additional ascospores 

(illustrated by green) also can fuse with pre-existing mycelia contributing their unique haploid nuclei to a mix 

of nuclei in what is then called a heterokaryotic mycelium. We do not know what, if any, limits or constraints 

there might be to the number of ascospores that can contribute unique haploid nuclei to an existing mycelium, 

nor whether the types of nuclei present in the hyphae differ among segments of a mycelial network. The left box 

illustrates the range of potential nutritional substrates that morels seem capable of using. Nutritional preferences could vary by species or environmental circumstances. Costantinella cristata is an asexual stage of morel 

reproduction wherein the hyphae of the morel mycelium form unique structures (conidiophores) to bud off spores 

(conidia) that include at least one, and possibly more, nuclei from the mycelium. Field and cultivation evidence 

suggests that sclerotia (tight masses of hyphae thought to store nutrients) can often be an intermediate stage 

between mycelial growth and fruiting. When morels fruit, the needed nutrients often appear to be translocated 

by strands of hyphae called rhizomorphs (because they resemble roots).
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form paired dikaryons and, significantly, other haploid nuclei continue to coexist in the same cells. Patterns of anastomosis and heterokaryogamy within and 

between morel species have not yet been fully investigated, but mycelia of some 

morel isolates, from putatively different species, appear not to anastomose (Volk 

and Leonard 1990).

Heterokaryosis in morels has several significant implications, even though 

the actual expression of these possibilities in nature is not well understood (Kaul 

1997). For instance, the haploid hypha from a germinating ascospore does not 

necessarily have to search for another haploid hypha of a compatible mating type 

to form a dikaryotic mycelium. It might be able to simply fuse with an established 

heterokaryotic morel mycelium and contribute its own genetically unique nucleus 

to the mix of heterokaryons already in the mycelium. The heterokaryotic nature 

of morel mycelia might also confer adaptation to a broader range of ecological and 

environmental conditions (Buscot 1992b) because such mycelia have more genetic 

diversity than those with only two paired haploid nuclei. If hyphae from germinating ascospores can and do indeed fuse with existing mycelium, this could confer 

the potential for continuous variation and adaptability (Kaul 1997) in response 

to environmental fluctuations (for instance, episodic droughts) or trends (such as 

changes in soil chemistry as a forest matures). Additionally, having a variety of 

alleles of each gene (on the various haploid nuclei) might mask the effect of deleterious mutations because there is a greater probability that a good copy of the gene 

exists than if the mycelium were only dikaryotic.

Additionally, defining a morel “individual” and its spatial extent in the soil is 

problematic. For instance, many mushrooms that are classified as Basidiomycetes 

(such as chanterelles, matsutake, and boletes) form distinct dikaryotic mycelial 

colonies that can be considered individuals. The structural tissues of all the mushrooms arising from such discrete colonies are genetically identical, so the spatial 

extent of the colonies can be roughly mapped by analyzing the DNA of their sporocarps. Because morels are formed by heterokaryotic mycelia, no two sporocarps 

need be alike. Indeed, the mycelium that produces the morel is more like a diverse 

genetic colony than an individual. Even morels fruiting side by side often appear 

genetically distinct,15 and thus are likely composed of different combinations of the 

multiple haploid nuclei that exist in the mycelium from which they fruit. Therefore 

the extent of mycelial colonies can only be very roughly mapped by the presence of 

15 Dunham, Susie. 2005. Personal communication. Technical editor, Department of Forest 

Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331. Preliminary results from analysis of 

morels collected by Tricia Wurtz in her morel studies near Fairbanks, Alaska.

Defining a morel 

“individual” and its 

spatial extent in the 

soil is problematic.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

37

morels, and if such “patches” of fruiting bodies are in close proximity, it would be 

difficult to discern whether they are connected and share some nuclei.

The psychrotolerance (Schmidt 1983) of morel mycelia refers to their ability to 

grow and compete in cold soils. This trait appears to be a common feature among 

many genera and species in the phylum Ascomycota. For example, Schadt and 

others (2003) sampled fungal DNA from tundra soils under snow, and of the 125 

sampled clonal sequences they extracted, at least one-third were members of the 

Pezizomycotina, the subphylum of fungi that includes morels. This suggests early 

adaptation of this fungal lineage to cold environments. In the section “Reproductive 

Strategies” we will discuss the potential implications of this adaptation to the mass 

fruiting of fire morels.

The mycelia of some species of morels can produce asexual conidia (Alexopoulos and others 1996). These are produced on and released by simple hyphal 

structures (conidiphores) and represent a means of clonal propagation. In effect, the 

mycelium “buds” into spores. No information exists about whether the full range of 

different nuclei found in a heterokaryotic morel mycelium is transferred into each 

conidium as it is formed. Individual morel conidia might or might not represent 

clonal propagation depending on whether all the genetic information in the parent 

mycelium is replicated in that particular spore. In morels, this conidial stage looks 

similar to powdery mildew. Because no sporocarps (mushrooms in this case) are 

produced by such asexual means of reproduction, mycologists working before the 

advent of genetic analysis often did not know the identity of fungi exhibiting a 

conidial stage and gave them separate names. In the case of morels, this stage was 

given the name Costantinella cristata by Matruchot (1892), but Molliard (1904a, 

1904b) and Constantin (1936) confirmed it to be an asexual reproductive feature 

of Morchella mycelium. Although commonly reported in artificial cultivation, 

few reports exist of this stage in natural settings. Stamets (2000) reported that in 

outdoor settings, he only sees it on inoculated sawdust.

Morel hyphae can form a variety of other structures, including sclerotia, mycorrhizae, mycelial muffs, and sporocarps. We discuss each in the following sections. 

Multiple hyphae can also grow in thick root-like strands called rhizomorphs (literally “root forms”). Rhizomorphs are efficient structures for rapidly transporting 

large quantities of nutrients or cytoplasm from one location to another and might 

play an essential role in the rapid formation of fruiting bodies. For instance, morels 

are sometimes described as emerging from long subterranean stems or various 

aggregates of hyphae (Philippoussis and Balis 1995, Stamets 2005). These subterranean stems can be connected via rhizomorphs to other structures such as nutrient 

storage organs (called “sclerotia”) (Philippoussis and Balis 1995) or to mycelial 
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38

aggregations (called “muffs”) that form around some roots (Buscot and Roux 1987). 

Buscot (1989) noted that this tapered underground stem quickly disappears as 

morels mature.

Mycorrhizae—Morels were originally thought to be saprobic (decomposing dead 

organic matter) because tested cultures grow rapidly in pure culture on simple nutrients such as starches, sugars, and nitrates (Robbins and Hervey 1959) and can be 

induced to fruit without association with plant hosts. Mycorrhizal fungi, by contrast, grow more slowly in pure culture and do not fruit without forming a symbiosis with their host plants. 

Moser (1949) suggested that some morels might have the ability to form mycorrhizal symbioses with trees or at least to form mycorrhiza-like structures. Assuming that this relationship is optional for morels that also have saprobic abilities, this 

form of symbiosis has been called a “facultatively mycorrhizal” nutritional strategy. 

Trappe (1996) discussed the nature of mycorrhizal symbioses and noted that both 

the structure and function of mycorrhizae are important characteristics. Each 

can vary with such factors as the species involved, their developmental stage, the 

nutrient status of each partner, seasonal shifts in their nutrient allocation patterns, 

and the specific soil environment. These factors create a shifting spectrum of 

relative advantages and disadvantages to the fungus and plant symbionts. Johnson 

and others (1997) provided a chart of relative benefits and costs to both fungus 

and host along a spectrum from mutualism to parasitism, but recognized that net 

benefits and costs can change over time as circumstances change for each symbiont. 

Not only is it inappropriate to assume that both partners benefit equally, but the 

observable structure of a mycorrhiza does not necessarily correspond to its functions. We note these caveats because most tested morels have the saprobic abilities 

noted above, morel mycorrhizae sometimes exhibit weakly developed structural 

features,16 few studies have examined benefits to the trees, and some morels form a 

different type of association with the larger roots of some plants (see the following 

section on muffs).

Buscot and Kottke (1990) and Buscot (1992a, 1992c) described ectomycorrhizae17 on Norway spruce associated with M. rotunda, M. esculenta, and M. elata. 

Subsequently, Buscot (1994) described seven types of morel mycorrhizae with 

16Many types of mycorrhizal associations have been described. The interested reader can find 

recent information in Peterson and others (2004) and Smith and Read (1997).

17Ectomycorrhizae are a common type of mycorrhiza formed on many forest trees in the 

Pinaceae, Fagaceae, and Betulaceae. Many prized edible mushrooms such as chanterelles, 

boletes, and matsutake are ectomycorrhizal fungi.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

39

Norway spruce. In these descriptions, Buscot noted that M. esculenta mycorrhizae 

featured minimal development of a Hartig net18 and suggested that other bacteria 

and fungi might be involved in facilitating the symbiosis (Buscot 1992c). With M. 

elata, Buscot (1992a) reported that morel mycorrhizae only formed as a “secondary” mycorrhizae after replacing previous mycorrhizae formed by other fungi. 

Harbin and Volk (1999) reported that M. esculenta and M. elata were facultatively 

mycorrhizal with apples, elms, and black spruces. They reported formation of typical ectomycorrhizae and noted that inoculated seedlings grew more than noninoculated control seedlings. Although apples and elms are not common hosts of ectomycorrhizal fungi, they can be (Molina and others 1992), and morels certainly fruit 

in proximity to these trees. Dahlstrom and others (2000) reported that mountain 

blond morels and natural black morels from the Pacific Northwest formed several 

typical mycorrhizal structures (ecto- and ectendomycorrhizal) with ponderosa pine, 

Douglas-fir, western larch, and lodgepole pine. To date, we know of no reports of 

fire morels being tested for their ability to form mycorrhizae.

Hobbie and others (2001) provided additional circumstantial evidence that 

morels might use both saprobic and mycorrhizal nutritional strategies. They studied 

isotope ratios in a variety of fungi noting that: “In general mycorrhizal fungi are 

enriched in 15N and depleted in 13C relative to saprobic fungi.” The Morchella

specimens they sampled yielded intermediate values.

A not-yet-tested hypothesis is that morels, by forming mycorrhizae, might also 

be positioning themselves to rapidly decompose the fine root tips of trees when 

these roots senesce or the tree dies. Abundant morel fruiting following tree death 

could be facilitated by such a flush of nutrients (Dahlstrom and others 2000, Pilz 

and others 2004, Vrålstad and others 1998).

Muffs—Whereas mycorrhizae generally form only on the terminal root tips where 

water and nutrients are absorbed, some morel species also appear capable of forming distinctive associations with the conducting root sections of several plants. 

Buscot and Roux (1987) first used the term “mycelial muffs” to describe a “fragile 

downy mass of relatively diffuse [morel] mycelium” surrounding conductive roots. 

The mycelium penetrated the phloem (living tissues just under the bark) of the root, 

suggesting absorption of nutrients. Although this might be considered a parasitic 

relationship, the root continues to function and the association appears to be short 

lived. The muffs seem to be connected to morel fruiting bodies and disappear 

18The Hartig net is a structure typically formed by ectomycorrhizal fungi that consists of a 

network of fungal hyphae growing between the epidermal and cortical cells of a root tip. 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

40

rapidly as the morels mature. Buscot (1989) speculated that such muffs function 

similarly to sclerotia (see next section) by supporting fruiting body growth through 

rapid transfer of nutrients.

Lakhanpal and others (1991) traced rhizomorphs from morel fruiting bodies 

to mycelial muffs on strawberries, grasses, and ferns. Philippoussis and Balis 

(1995) described a morel mycelial sheath around the small roots (but not root tips) 

of European alder (Alnus glutinosa), wooly blackberry (Rubus tomentosus), and 

locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) in Greece. Shad and others (1990) traced rhizomorph 

connections between morels and the absorbing roots of strawberry and grasses, and 

the rhizomes of ferns, although in this case the mycelium did not form the “muffs” 

described by Buscot and Roux (1987). In all these reports, the morel mycelium was 

observed to penetrate all the tissues and cells of the root section where it grows 

except the water-conducting xylem.

Sclerotia—Morel sclerotia are nodules of tightly woven hyphae (fig. 9). True sclerotia, as defined by structures formed by the species Sclerotina sclerotiorum, have a 

differentiated structure including a rind, whereas the sclerotia of morels is an undifferentiated dense mass of mycelium (Volk and Leonard 1989b). Hence morel sclerotia are more appropriately called pseudosclerotia (false sclerotia). For simplicity, 

however, we also will use the term “sclerotia” as defined by Willetts (1972) as any 

“macroscopic fungal resting structure.” Morel sclerotia have been described as 1 to 

5 cm in diameter (Leonard and Volk 1992) and having the texture of slippery walnut meat (Volk 1991). Miller and others (1994) described sclerotia associated with 

morels in nature as pale brown, smooth, irregular in shape, and clustered in small 

to large aggregates. Philippoussis and Balis (1995) noted they often incorporate soil 

particles and that their form varies by species. They can have thick walls and are 

cold tolerant (Volk and Leonard 1990). Morel sclerotia are commonly formed in 

pure culture and are used in artificial cultivation as a step toward producing fruiting 

bodies (see the section “Cultivation”). Buscot (1993) noted that the types of sclerotia formed in pure culture differ by the genetic strain that is grown and whether the 

strain is produced from single or multiple spores. Stamets (1993) noted that black 

morels produce numerous small golden-yellow to orange sclerotia, whereas yellow morels produce fewer, larger, walnut-brown sclerotia. It is widely speculated 

that morel sclerotia are nutrient storage organs that are resistant to desiccation and 

cold temperatures. In culture, sclerotia can “germinate” to produce either fruiting 

bodies or new mycelium (Volk and Leonard 1990). When they produce fruiting 

bodies, mycelia and rhizomorphs often are an intermediate stage for translocating 

the stored nutrients. Such translocation takes place by differential concentrations 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

41

of dissolved chemicals, thus producing turgor pressure that causes mass flow of 

cytoplasm (cell contents) through the pores in the septa that connect adjacent cells 

(Amir and others 1992). It has been postulated that the nutrients stored in sclerotia 

are translocated and depleted to produce mass fruiting following wildfires. The first 

year after a fire in the Grand Tetons, Miller and others (1994) found that what they 

believed to be morel sclerotia were more abundant in burned soils where many 

morels had fruited than in the nonburned soils of adjacent forest stands. The described sclerotia were still found the second year after the fire, but their numbers 

had declined.

Fruiting—As noted in the introduction, various factors have been associated with 

morel fruiting. Conceptually, these factors can be grouped into (1) conditions that 

facilitate mass fruiting such as loss of food supply, changes in soil pH and chemistry, loss of competition from other soil micro-organisms, or flushes of readily 

available nutrients; (2) environmental triggers that initiate fruiting such as changes 

in soil temperature or moisture; and (3) persistent conditions that support morel 

growth such as warmth, rainfall, and humidity.

Factors that facilitate fruiting—Tree death (without fire) has been noted as a factor in massive morel fruiting by many observers. Well-documented examples are 

provided by Pilz and others (2004) and Thompson (1994). Volk and others (1997) 

Figure 9—Morchella sclerotia.

Tom Volk, http://tomvolkfungi.net/

Such fruiting may 

represent a last-ditch 

effort to reproduce 

when the morel’s food 

source disappears.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

42

theorized that such mass fruiting represents a last-ditch effort to reproduce when 

the morel’s food source disappears. In the case of morel species that fruit annually without wildfire as a trigger (such as the yellow, natural black, and mountain 

blond morels), the fungus might be deriving important nutrients from mycorrhizal 

relations with host trees and reacting to a loss of regular nutrition by fruiting more 

abundantly when the host tree dies. Similarly, the mass fruiting of fire morels also 

could be a strategy to colonize new habitats in response to loss of food resources 

destroyed in the fire. If fire morels can form mycorrhizae, heat-killed trees could 

be a lost food resource, as could incinerated duff on the forest floor or burned 

organic matter in the upper soil horizons. Vrålstad and others (1998) provided a 

good discussion of the ecological and reproductive strategies of the postfire fungus 

Geopyxis carbonaria and its adaptations to stand-replacement fires in boreal forests. They showed that G. carbonaria forms mycorrhiza-like structures and noted 

that it fruits abundantly after fires. They also speculated that the fungus derives 

nutrition from live trees through mycorrhizal relations, but that when the tree becomes moribund, the fungus decomposes the root tips as they die. Consequently, 

they regard mass fruiting as a strategy for escaping from postfire habitat rather than 

colonizing it. Why natural black morels do not seem to fruit the first year after a 

fire, even when the trees were killed, remains a puzzle because they appear to fruit 

abundantly when insects kill the trees in the absence of fire (Pilz and others 2004, 

Weber and others 1996).

Changes in soil pH and mineral chemistry following fires or other soil disturbances have also been advanced as reasons for mass morel fruiting. A variety of 

studies (Brock 1951, Ghosh and Majumdar 1986, Güler 2000, Kaul 1975, Singh and 

others 2004, Winder 2006) have examined the effects of pH and mineral nutrition 

on mycelial growth in pure culture and fruiting in the field. Winder (2006) cultured 

and tested isolates from vouchered sporocarps that were tentatively identified as 

M. elata. The best pH for growth of mycelium in culture varied by the relative 

concentration of calcium and other inorganic ions commonly found in wood ash, 

but neutral pH values were generally optimal. In northern India, Singh and others 

(2004) provided the most detailed description of soil properties where morels fruit. 

These soils are typically sandy loam with humus, good aeration, and pH from 6.5 

to 7.0. Compared to soils where morels were not fruiting, they had higher levels of 

carbon, nitrogen, calcium, nitrates, and sodium, and lower levels of phosphates, 

chlorides, and potassium.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

43

Carpenter and others (1987) made the point that phoenicoid fungi19 (fungi that 

fruit in burned areas) are not just associated with fires, but also with soils heated by 

volcanism. Their study of areas affected by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens 

in Washington state found that the explosive blast blended organic debris and pHneutral tephra into a heat-sterilized mix that buried live mycelium under snow. As 

the snow melted, surviving fungal mycelium in the buried soil had the opportunity 

to grow into this deposit, presumably without significant competition from other 

soil microbes. Morels fruited abundantly in such heat-sterilized mixed deposits on 

north-facing slopes and in heat-killed but standing forests that received an 8- to 

15-inch ash deposit, but not in areas with deeper deposits or no admixed organic 

matter.

None of the aforementioned studies, however, postulates a mechanism that 

would explain how pH or mineral changes could nurture abundant fruiting, although a higher rate of nitrification as a result of increased soil pH after a fire does 

facilitate decomposition of soil organic matter (Pietikäinen 1999). Likely what is 

most important for abundant fruiting is a readily available source of carbohydrate 

nutrition to support the energy-intensive production of numerous ephemeral 

sporocarps. Reduced competition from other soil microbes and flushes of easily 

decomposable organic matter following soil heating are plausible contributors to 

such nutrition.

González-Pérez and others (2004), Hart and others (2005), Pietikäinen (1999), 

Pietikäinen and others (2000), and Treseder and others (2004) provided recent 

reviews and discussions about how forest fires affect soil microbial communities 

and organic matter. In all cases, these effects depend on a large variety of factors 

such as fire intensity and duration, soil moisture, soil type, and the thickness of 

various soil layers. Fritze and others (1994) noted that forest fires, depending on 

intensity, can reduce microbial (fungal and bacterial) biomass in the humus layer of 

the soil by 30 to 85 percent, and this can last for 5 or more years. Pietikäinen (1999) 

noted that bacteria are generally more tolerant of heat than fungi are, so fungal 

competitors could be disproportionately affected by heating the upper layers of the 

soil. A flush of easily decomposable organic matter could come from heat-induced 

changes to existing organic matter in the soil, or from newly formed “necromass,” 

that is, all the forest soil organisms killed by the fire. Such necromass could consist 

of plant roots, arthropods (insects), annelids (earthworms), mollusks (slugs and 

snails), fungi, and bacteria. González-Pérez and others (2004) noted that necromass 

19 Named after the mythological bird called the Phoenix, which arose from the ashes of its 

own pyre.

A flush of easily 

decomposable organic 

matter could come from 

forest soil organisms 

killed by the fire.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

44

from moderate burns can provide a large input of readily decomposable substances. 

Lipids derived from recently dead plants and microbes in the upper layers of moderately burned soils can constitute 2 to 6 percent of the organic matter in the soil 

humus. Fritze and others (1994) estimated that microbial biomass alone constitutes 

approximately 2 percent of soil carbon in coniferous forests. Pietikäinen and others 

(2000) reported that when forest soil is sterilized at 285 to 320 oF and reinoculated 

with native microbes, there is a peak of microbe respiration about a month later, 

indicating the presence of easily decomposed necromass, readily available soluble 

organic matter, or both.

Although high temperatures (greater than 450 oF) can alter existing organic 

matter to create organic compounds that are toxic (Fritze and others 1998) or more 

resistant to decay (Czimczik and others 2003, González-Pérez and others 2004, 

Pietikäinen 1999), other organic compounds become more soluble (Moser 1949, 

Pietikäinen 1999) or easily decomposed, especially at moderate temperatures 

(around 300 oF). González-Pérez and others (2004) noted that hemicelluloses and 

lignin begin to degrade into simpler (hence more digestible) compounds at 265 to 

375 oF. Egger (1986) tested the enzymatic abilities of a variety of postfire ascomycetes. He tested one morel isolate that he identified as M. elata that was collected 

from the ashes of a burned wood pile in a gravel pit. That isolate did not associate 

with roots, nor did it show any ability to decompose oils or lignin, but it did exhibit 

strong cellulase activity. Based on this evidence, Egger classified his isolate as 

belonging to a litter/fine root decomposer group.

The availability of readily utilized organic matter in burned soils is consistent 

with claims by Stamets (2005) that artificial morel patches can be established by 

inoculating recently burned areas. Circumstantial evidence also supports the notion 

that ideal conditions for morel growth might result from moderate soil heating. 

Commercial harvesters report fire morels fruiting in the “red needle zone,” that is, 

areas where the fire was hot enough to kill the trees, but not so hot that the canopy 

was consumed. The next spring, dead reddish needles fall in these areas (McFarlane 

and others 2005). Keefer (2005) likewise reported that fire morels fruited in areas 

where 20 to 100 percent of the duff layer was consumed by a fire, but occurred 

most abundantly in areas where a moderate 60 to 80 percent of the duff layer was 

consumed. Morels do fruit in intensely burned areas also. Perhaps such morels have 

sufficient nutrients for fruiting already stored in their sclerotia or maybe they obtain 

a flush of carbohydrate nutrition from necromass formed in deeper, less-heated 

layers of the soil.

Factors that trigger fruiting—Temperature and moisture are thought to act as 

stimulants to initiate fruiting and as requirements for continued fruiting. Buscot 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

45

(1989) noted that Morchella rotunda begins fruiting when soil temperatures exceed 

the minimum of 43 oF and the speed at which morels mature thereafter is related 

to the time-integrative measure of degree-days above that baseline temperature.20 

Similarly, the initiation of morel fruiting in Missouri is related to degree-days 

above 36 oF.21

Stamets (2000) observed that air temperature fluctuations between 40 to 60 oF 

during spring initiate the formation of the morel primordia (miniature “buttons” 

that have the potential to grow into full-sized morels). He stated that temperatures 

above 60 oF encourage the primordia to grow but halt the formation of new primordia. Thompson (1994) claimed that soil moisture is only important for morel 

fruiting after the soil has warmed, whereas Goldway and others (2000) suggested 

that slowly drying soil stimulates morel fruiting.

Factors that support fruiting—Once morels begin to fruit, total seasonal productivity might be related to the amount of rainfall during a short period of optimal temperatures. For instance, during the years 2001 to 2005 in north-central 

Missouri, the first day of morel fruiting reliably fell between the 104th and 110th

days of the calendar year (mid-April) and total seasonal production was closely correlated with the number of rainfall events of greater than 10 mm during the next 2 

weeks (see footnote 21). Such rainfall not only hydrates the morel mycelium that is 

nourishing the growing fruiting body, but likely also maintains high humidity levels near the soil surface so the growing morel does not dry out and shrivel.

Fruiting body—A morel mushroom (fruiting body or sporocarp) is the reproductive structure that Morchella species use to produce and disseminate their spores. 

Morel fruiting bodies seem able to arise directly from diffuse mycelia, from dense 

muffs of mycelia in the soil, or via rhizomorphs or hyphae that transport nutrients 

from sclerotia or mycelial muffs surrounding plant roots (Buscot 1989, Buscot and 

Bernillon 1991, Volk and Leonard 1990). Morel mycelia and muffs appear to shrink 

as the fruiting bodies develop (Buscot 1989) so it is probable that water, cytoplasm, 

and nutrients are being translocated to the sporocarp as it develops.

20 Degree-days are calculated by summing, across all of the days within the period measured, 

the difference between a selected baseline temperature and the daily mean temperature. 

For instance, if the mean temperature on day one was 2 degrees above the chosen baseline 

temperature, and on day two it was 3 degrees above the baseline temperature, the cumulative 

degree days for that 2-day period would be 5.

21Bruhn, Johanna

 and Mihail, Jeanneb. 2005. Morchella fruiting patterns relative to climate and 

associated vegetation. [aoral presentation, b,aunpublished abstract and poster]. 4th international 

workshop on edible mycorrhizal mushrooms, 29 November–2 December, Murcia, Spain. aForest Mycologist, 108 Waters Hall, and b

Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, 109 Waters 

Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

46

Buscot (1989) described three stages of morel growth. The initial “pre-emergence” phase lasts about 3 to 4 weeks and consists of producing the initial primordia. When conditions are optimal, these primordia can grow, in 1 day, into morel 

fruiting bodies that are two-thirds their final size. Final growth in size and maturation can take 1 to 10 more days. Likely the length and timing of these phases differ 

by morel species, native habitat, local environmental conditions on the forest floor, 

general climate patterns, and specific weather events. Masaphy (2005) presented 

a detailed description of the development of morel fruiting bodies and their microscopic structures illustrated with a scanning electron microscope. Ower (1982) 

provided a series of six photographs of morel development from a primordium to 

a young sporocarp over a period of 21 days. Weber (1988) also included a series 

of four photographs taken over 16 days showing the growth of a fruiting body of a 

yellow morel.22

Morels form their spores in a structure called an ascus (asci plural). An ascus 

is an elongated tube that typically holds eight sexual spores produced by meiosis. 

In morels, asci line the pits in the head of the morel but not the ridges (Alexopoulos 

and others 1996). The fertile layer where asci are formed is called the hymenium.

If sexual spores are to be produced, at some point two compatible haploid 

nuclei must pair up to engage in the genetic mixing process of meiosis. In many 

mushrooms, such pairing occurs before the fruiting body is formed, so all of the 

hyphae that fuse to form the fruiting body have the same dikaryotic cells. The situation appears more complex in morels. Greis (1940) first described the early steps of 

meiosis occurring in the morel sporocarp immediately underneath the hymenium, 

but the nuclear condition of the hyphae was not described (Volk and Leonard 1990). 

Ower and others (1986) claimed in their patent for growing morels commercially 

that morel mushrooms can be formed from monokaryotic (haploid) “primary” 

mycelium derived from a single spore. Gessner and others (1987) found parental 

genes from more than one set of parents when they compared the genetic makeup of 

offspring from single M. delicious or M. esculenta sporocarps, but they also found 

the sporocarp tissue to be haploid. Kendrick (2001) described how dikaryotic hyphae often proliferate in ascomycete sporocarps formed mostly by haploid hyphae. 

Volk and Leonard (1990) described the ascus mother cell (where meiosis occurs) 

as multinucleate. At least by this point in the development of the sporocarp and 

its microscopic structures, compatible haploid nuclei must pair up if meiosis is to 

occur. Perhaps each morel is composed of a variable mixture of mono-, di-, multi, 

or heterokaryotic hyphae and the pairing of haploid nuclei can occur anywhere 

22 Photographs taken by Jim Weber.

When conditions 

are optimal, these 

primordia can grow, 

in 1 day, into morel 

fruiting bodies that are 

two-thirds their final 

size. 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

47

from the mycelium (Volk and Leonard 1990) to the ascus mother cell immediately 

preceding meiosis. If the hyphae that form morel sporocarps contain a variety of 

different haploid nuclei, then the ascospores produced by that fruiting body could 

derive from equally varied genetic lineages. Whatever the case, laboratory and 

genetic techniques have advanced sufficiently so that common patterns of nuclear 

condition and nuclear pairing in morel sporocarps could be characterized and 

whether these patterns differ by species or other factors also could be determined. 

The nuclear condition of the hyphae that form morel mushrooms and the location 

where compatible haploid nuclei pair up in preparation for meiosis require greater 

clarification if genetic population studies based on analyzing sporocarp tissues are 

to be correctly interpreted. Similarly, until more is known, researchers comparing 

growth characteristics in pure culture, or breeders selecting strains for cultivation, 

run a risk of being incorrect if they assume that two tissue cultures from the same 

sporocarp are genetically identical or that all spore cultures from a given sporocarp 

derive from copies of the same two paired haploid nuclei as in dikaryotic fungi.

Experienced morel hunters and morel taxonomists know that morels differ 

widely in their appearance. Their polymorphism might reflect genetic variability, 

but likely some of the variation is also environmentally induced. For instance, 

Stamets (2000) has noted environmentally-induced variation in appearance of 

morels grown from a single clonal culture (or strain) of genetically identical 

mycelium. Tiffany and others (1998) noted, in a summary of the morel collection 

project conducted by the Prairie States Mushroom Club during 1984-95, that morel 

collections differed widely in appearance. Sometimes specimens seemed to change 

species as they aged, while at other times they retained characters they typically 

displayed when they were young. Morels are known to produce beta-alanine and 

similar compounds that in combination with various biochemical pathways can 

produce a range of colors and shades from green to black (Jacobs 1982). These 

pigments are thought to be produced in response to sunlight and provide protection 

from ultraviolet radiation. Darker pigments could also warm the sporocarp during 

cool spring weather by more effectively trapping infrared radiation.

Although mammals and birds rarely consume morels (Lonik 2002), certain 

insects love them, creating competition that recreational and commercial morel 

harvesters sometimes face. For instance, Wurtz and others (2005) reported that 

one year 50 percent of the morels collected on research plots in Alaska were 

infected by insects from either the insect family of Mycetophilidae (fungus gnats) 

or Sciaridae (black fungus gnats). In other years, none had insects. Cobanoglu and 

Bayram (1998) found 13 species of mites and 2 species of flies associated with M. 

conica and M. esculenta in Turkey. Werner (2002) described morels in California 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

48

being infected by Aradus debilis (and possibly other Aradus species), an interesting beetle-like true bug (order Hemiptera) called flat bugs (family Aradidae). For 

feeding, these bugs have a “long, thin, tube-like stylet” (rostrum) instead of chewing mandibles. They insert this stylet into individual hyphae of the morel and suck 

out the cell contents. This feeding stylet can be longer than the bug’s body length 

and is strong enough that the bug can hang by it. However, when a morel is picked, 

the bug drops off, presumably because it detects a loss of turgor pressure as the 

mushroom is severed from its mycelium. Werner (2002) also found wireworms 

(larvae of click-beetle family Elateridae), rove beetles (family Staphylinidae), and 

millipedes (class Diplopoda) on or in morels. Because millipedes generally feed on 

detritus (dead organisms), perhaps they found shelter in the morels and ate them as 

they decayed.

Spores—As previously noted, the ascus mother cells are multinucleate, but only 

one pair of two compatible haploid nuclei migrates into each developing ascus, goes 

through the process of meiosis, and contributes new haploid nuclei to the ascospores. After meiosis, the newly recombinant haploid nucleus in each spore repeatedly replicates itself so that by the time spores have matured and are ready for 

release, each has 15 to 30 copies of the same haploid nucleus (Weber 1988). The 

large number of nuclei in each spore might facilitate the rapid production of enzymes and proteins, thus allowing more rapid early growth than would be possible 

for spores with fewer nuclei. Whether the number of nuclei limit or influence the 

speed of morel spore germination and early hyphal growth remains to be tested, but 

new morel mycelia do grow very rapidly in pure culture.

Only toward the end of the 10- to 14-day development of a morel sporocarp do 

their spores become mature, and only then are they released (Pilz and others 2004, 

Weber 1988, Winder 2006). Like many Ascomycete fungi, morel spores are forcibly 

ejected from their asci. If the morel is not disturbed in any way, spores can simply 

be released over time as the sporocarp dries. Often however, when the spores are 

ready to be released, disturbances such as puffs of wind, raindrops, bumps by 

animals, or even harvesting can trigger simultaneous ejection of spores in large 

numbers. So many spores can be released so rapidly and forcibly, that this phenomenon can be both visible and audible (Weber 1988) even though each individual 

spore is tiny (about 8/1000th of an inch in length). Schmidt (1979) described a hiss 

that can last 2 to 4 seconds. Weber (1988) estimated that, depending on size, each 

morel mushroom can produce from hundreds of thousands to millions of spores.

Morel spores germinate readily without any special requirements other than 

moisture (Hervey and others 1978, Schmidt 1983, Volk and others 1997, Weber 

1988). Thus morel spores are not likely to persist in soils (Schmidt 1983) in the 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

49

manner that basidiospores can (Miller and others 1994). Because morel spores 

are so small, wind currents easily lift them. The open landscape following a fire 

increases the likelihood that more and stronger breezes will reach the ground 

without being blocked by vegetation than would be the case in a nonburned forest. 

Thus fire morels might have better opportunities to spread a greater portion of their 

spores over long distances than nonfire morels. However, when rainfall stimulates 

the release of morel spores, most are likely washed into the nearby soil.

Population genetics—If morel mycelial colonies in nature typically do contain 

a heterogeneous mixture of different haploid nuclei, then such colonies cannot be 

understood as unique or distinct dikaryotic individuals that always produce genetically identical mushrooms. Rather, they should be considered populations of nuclei 

or genes. For instance, Aegerter (1995) quoted geneticist Dr. Carol Carter that no 

two morels she has analyzed are identical, even if they are growing in a cluster (fig. 

10). Even though the boundaries of a morel mycelial colony cannot be determined 

by mapping identical dikaryotic sporocarps (as can be done with many other edible 

mushrooms in the Basidiomycetes), studies of breeding and population genetics can 

still be conducted because these rely on similarities in gene ratios among samples, 

not on unique dikaryotic individuals.

Figure 10—

A cluster of natural 

black morels. Likely 

no two are genetically identical although 

they are connected 

at the base and arise 

from a common 

mycelium.

David Pilz
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

50

For instance, Dalgleish and Jacobson (2005) used molecular methods of genetic 

analysis to determine that yellow morel colonies were effectively outbreeding (with 

ascospores) over distances of at least 300 to 3,000 feet in a hardwood forest in 

central Iowa. An unpublished genetic analysis (see footnote 15), conducted on burn 

morel specimens mapped and collected by Tricia Wurtz near Fairbanks, Alaska, 

showed that (over a distance of 450 feet) morels nearer to each other were more 

closely related than morels more distant from each other. Yoon (1990) reported that 

yellow morel populations separated by tens of miles were quite similar and might 

be derived from the same population, whereas gene flow was minimal between 

populations separated by hundreds of miles.

Inbreeding and haploid meiosis—Inbreeding occurs when closely related individuals mate or when individuals mate with themselves (self-fertilization). Inbreeding 

is generally disadvantageous because deleterious mutations in the organism’s genome are concentrated and expressed more often as maladaptations for living and 

breeding in a given environment. Under certain circumstances, however, inbreeding can be useful. As an example, imagine an isolated tree that had no potential 

mating partner nearby. If the tree is monoecious (having both female and male sex 

organs), then the tree can self-fertilize, produce seeds, and establish a new population of its species. Otherwise, it would eventually die leaving no offspring. Selffertilization still produces some genetic recombination, however. During meiosis, 

alleles are shuffled between the paired chromosomes, hence the resultant sexual 

propagules have different combinations of alleles on their chromosomes than the 

parent (singular in this case). Although genetically very similar, offspring resulting 

from self-fertilization do differ from their parent and from each other.

Dalgleish and Jacobson (2005) suggested morels likely are capable of substantial inbreeding because most spores from a single sporocarp are capable of 

forming a heterokaryotic mycelium with each other under laboratory conditions 

(Hervey and others 1978, Volk and Leonard 1989a). Such inbreeding might occur if 

ascospores are deposited and germinate near the mycelial colony that gave rise to 

the sporocarp where they were produced. If such spores are capable of joining this 

progenitor mycelium through anastomosis, then the nuclei they contribute would be 

closely related to at least some of the other nuclei in the heterokaryotic mycelium, 

namely the ones that paired up to undergo meiosis to produce that ascospore.

But morels might be able to take the process of inbreeding one step further. As 

noted in the introduction, morels might also be capable of the unusual feat of haploid meiosis. This would involve two identical copies of the same haploid nucleus 

pairing and undergoing the process of meiosis even though none of the alleles on 

their paired chromosomes differed. Even though segments of these chromosomes 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

51

could be swapped in the process of meiosis, little or no difference would exist in the 

resulting sexual spores because the original paired haploid nuclei were identical. In 

effect, the haploid ascospores would then function in the same manner as a clonal 

conidum, but the ascospore would only have one haploid nucleus inside, whereas 

a conidium could potentially have many if the parent mycelium is heterokaryotic. 

Ower and others (1986) provided the evidence that cultivated morels are capable 

of haploid meiosis in their patent for growing morels. They described haploid 

sclerotia-forming sporocarps that produce sexual spores. Zickler and others (1995) 

discussed haploid meiosis in filamentous ascomycetes concluding that different 

mating-type alleles are not necessary for haploid nuclei to pair and go through 

meiosis, but that in wild strains of the fungus they studied (Podospora anserina) 

compatible mating alleles almost always ensured that meiosis involved different 

haploid nuclei. Whether any species of morel actually conducts haploid meiosis in 

nature is not known, but it might be a useful strategy for colonizing new habitats 

(Dalgleish and Jacobson 2005). If a spore lands where no other morel spores or 

hyphae are available for anastomosing into a di- or heterokaryotic mycelium, then 

this haploid mycelium would still be capable of forming fruiting bodies and disseminating more spores elsewhere. Such ascospores would have the same genetic 

identity as haploid conidia formed by the same mycelium. Both would be clonal 

propagules. Nevertheless, such ascospores might be more effectively distributed 

than conidia because the latter are formed on short hyphae near the soil surface, 

whereas ascospores are produced by the much taller sporocarp and are forcibly 

ejected into the wind.

Reproductive strategies—Morels grow in a wide variety of habitats. They appear able to use a variety of food sources opportunistically as the need and circumstances dictate. They are genetically diverse and have mechanisms, such as frequent 

anastomosis and heterokaryogamy, for maintaining high genetic diversity in their 

mycelial colonies. Such genetic diversity likely allows colonies to adapt to changing 

environmental conditions and shields the expression of harmful mutations. They 

appear capable of both inbreeding and outbreeding depending on where their spores 

land and on the relatedness of nearby hyphae or mycelia that are available for anastomosis. They even appear capable (at least in cultivation) of producing sporocarps 

and sexual spores from mycelial colonies established from a single haploid spore 

(haploid meiosis).

Wedin and others (2004) noted that several Ascomycete groups are capable 

of either forming lichens, or living without photosynthetic partners, depending on 

ecological conditions. They speculated that such broad ecological amplitude and 

environmental plasticity are useful strategies for fungi that are adapted to ecosystems 

Whether any species of 

morel actually conducts 

haploid meiosis in 

nature is not known, 

but it might be a useful 

strategy for colonizing 

new habitats. 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

52

where the mix of resident species, and their organization into an ecological community, can change abruptly and unpredictably. Insect infestations, wildfires, floods, 

landslides, blow-down from windstorms, and volcanism are all examples of episodic 

catastrophic events that can destroy a forest and produce large morel crops. In their 

discussion of fungus lifestyle strategies, Pugh and Boddy (1988) noted the following 

characteristics of fungi that are adapted to rapid colonization of new environments: 

effective dispersal, rapid uptake of nutrients, rapid mycelial extension, ability to use 

easily assimilable resources, and a rapid and total commitment to reproduction as the 

ephemeral nutrient flush is depleted and significant competition from other microorganisms resumes. The characteristics of morel biology and ecology appear to match 

many of these criteria.

Nevertheless, large crops of fire morels in western forests remain somewhat of 

an ecological mystery. Why do only fire morels fruit, and in such large quantities, 

for only a year or two after fires in areas where nonburn morels are otherwise found 

(Pilz and others 2004)? Do mycelial colonies of fire morel species persist in forest 

soils (without fruiting) for the decades or centuries between forest fires? Although 

forest fires and morel fruiting can sometimes overlap in boreal and alpine environments where the morel fruiting season is relatively late, most forest fires in western 

North America occur in the dry summer months later than the morel fruiting season 

in the moist spring or early summer. So any morel spores that land in an area that 

burns later that summer would be destroyed if they had not already germinated and 

grown down into the soil at sufficient depth to escape heat-induced mortality. Hence 

it seems that the mycelia of burn morels must be present in the soil before a fire in 

order to grow during the following winter and fruit in the spring. If fire morels persist 

in forest soils as sclerotia, and if these are formed at soil depths where fire-induced 

soil heating is not lethal, then such sclerotia would be ideally suited to recolonize the 

upper soil horizons where other micro-organisms were killed. The nutrients stored 

in such sclerotia could be used to rapidly form new invading mycelia during the cold 

winter months (Schadt and others 2003) when other fungi are at a competitive disadvantage. Thus fire morels could quickly capture the flush of readily decomposable 

organic matter (including necromass) released by the heat from the fire before other 

microorganisms do so. As logical as this theory might sound, to date, DNA analyses 

of nonburned forest soils have not found morel mycelium or mycorrhizae where they 

would be expected under this hypothesis. For instance, 9 months after a prescribed 

fire in a ponderosa pine forest in eastern Oregon, Fujimura and others (2005) found 

no morel mycorrhizae in soil cores 15 cm deep under morel mushrooms, even though 

most trees were not killed in the burn. If the morels were forming mycorrhizae, 

perhaps the soil samples were too shallow or taken at the wrong time of year.

Large crops of fire 

morels in western 

forests remain 

somewhat of an 

ecological mystery.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

53

Also, why do nonfire morels seem to skip fruiting the first year following a 

fire, whereas they do fruit in abundance following insect infestations? In both cases 

the trees were killed, so if losing a mycorrhizal partner as food source is a signal 

to fruit, why do they do so in one case and not the other? The truth is no doubt out 

there, but to find it, we still have some digging to do.

Cultivation

Context—If morels can be grown artificially, why would harvesting them from the 

wild remain economically competitive? Indeed most edible saprobic mushrooms, 

such as button (Agaricus species), shiitake (Lentinula edodes), or oyster (Pleurotus

species) mushrooms, are cultivated. Only a very small fraction of the commercial 

supplies of these mushrooms are collected from the wild. Sometimes markets that 

specialize in wild foods will sell wild-collected saprobic mushrooms, but most people who collect them do so for personal use. Cultivated mushrooms are comparable 

in cost to wild-collected mushrooms, but cultivated mushrooms can be produced 

in any quantity needed to meet demand, and production is much more reliable and 

consistent throughout the year compared to the seasonal and weather-dependent 

crops of wild mushrooms. However, edible ectomycorrhizal mushroom species 

(such as chanterelles, boletes, or matsutake) cannot yet be profitably cultivated. 

These fungi do not fruit in the absence of their hosts, so researchers and agronomists have had little success cultivating them, even in plantations of trees whose 

roots are inoculated with the fungus. The one exception is truffles, some of which 

are easy to inoculate on trees and yield very high economic returns to balance the 

expense, time, and risk required to establish plantations. Even with truffles, it can 

take 10 years or more to recoup investments and yield net profits.

Although harvesting morels in the wild costs as much as collecting other 

mushrooms, morels have the advantage that they can be dried quickly and easily, 

and when they are rehydrated, they are as flavorful (if not more so) than the fresh 

product. Therefore, wild harvested morels can be sold year-around, thus reducing 

the fluctuations in supply and prices. Dried mushrooms are light weight and inexpensive to ship. Some other wild-collected mushrooms, such as boletes, also have 

favorable drying and rehydration characteristics, but many wild-collected edible 

mushroom species lose desirable flavor or texture in the process.

 Morels fall in between saprobic and mycorrhizal mushrooms in relative 

difficulty of cultivation. We discuss the history of, current status of, and prospects 

for growing them because cultivated morels might eventually compete with wild 

morels.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

54

History—Brock (1951) and Leonard and Volk (1992) discussed early claims of 

successful morel cultivation beginning in the 1880s. Leonard and Volk (1992) also 

described the early circumstances surrounding the first U.S. patent for growing 

morels and early efforts to commercialize the process. Briefly, Ower (1982) published a short description of how to artificially grow morels before applying for a 

patent. To patent the process, he joined with Dr. Gary Mills and Jim Malachowski, 

researchers at Neogen Corporation, a biotechnology firm associated with Michigan 

State University (Volk 1990). The first U.S. patent issued for cultivation of morel 

mushrooms (Ower and others 1986) drew immediate attention in the mycological community (Coombs 1986). Ower was robbed and murdered in a park in San 

Francisco before the 1986 patent was issued, but Gary Mills and Jim Malachowski 

continued to develop the process and received two additional patents (Ower and 

others 1988, 1989). Malachowski subsequently left Neogen, but Mills continued the 

process of commercializing morel cultivation (Volk 1990). The patents were based 

on “M. esculenta” cultures derived from sporocarps collected on the campus of 

San Francisco State University. Kuo (2006) speculated these morels were actually 

Morchella rufobrunnea. Although the cultivation technique was based on one species, the patents claim the methods apply to all Morchella species. The texts of the 

patents were sufficiently detailed to claim rights, but sufficiently vague to stymie 

efforts by others to replicate the process. The methods centered around techniques 

and nutrient regimes to grow and prepare sclerotia for controlled germination into 

sporocarps. Growing sclerotia is an intermediate step that is not required to cultivate most other saprobic mushrooms.

In 1990, Neogen Corporation partnered with Domino’s Pizza to operate a test 

plant under the corporate name of “Morel Mountain” in Mason, Michigan (Barnes 

and Wilson 1998; Haugen 1994, 1998). Illinois-based Terry Farms bought the rights 

to the cultivation process in 1993, and in 1995 constructed a growing facility at 

their Auburn Technology Park in Auburn, Alabama. Increasing sclerotial mass 

and lipid content, inducing more reliable and simultaneous fruiting, and increasing 

yields, bed densities, and growth rates of morels were all foci of efforts to improve 

the economics of morel cultivation (Haugen 1998). Interestingly, an annual report 

by the Thermal Storage Applications Research Center of the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison describes an “80 ton falling film ice 

slurry system” (EPRI 1998) developed for the morel mushroom facility of Terry 

Farms. This device suggests Terry Farms was experimenting with a period of cold 

wet conditions to trigger reliable or well-timed fruiting. Hammond (1999) said that 

the plant was shipping 3,000 pounds per week from coast to coast by the end of the 

decade. One of the early complaints about these cultivated morels was that they 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

55

lacked the aroma and taste of wild morels, but this was disputed by Perry Mulleavy, 

director of the Terry Farms project, who claimed their “white” morels were preferred by chefs over the wild collected black morels (Coombs 1994).

After several more transfers of cultivation rights and associated corporate 

mergers, morel cultivation has resurfaced at “Diversified Natural Products,” Scottville, Mason County, Michigan, where the original patent coauthor Gary Mills 

is vice president for the Gourmet and Functional Foods Division (Miller 2004a, 

2004b). As of 2005, the company started selling fresh mixes of morel, shiitake, 

oyster, black poplar (Agrocybe aegerita), and cinnamon nameko (Pholiota nameko) 

mushrooms called “Midsummer Exotics Gourmet Mix “(Diversified Natural 

Products 2005). To date, we know of no one else who has been successful at largescale indoor cultivation of morels by using the methods pioneered by Ower and 

refined by Mills and associates.

Constraints and opportunities—Leonard and Volk (1992) and Stott and 

Mohammed (2004) provided good discussions of morel cultivation, and the latter 

provided the most recent review of accumulated knowledge about morel life cycles, 

sexuality, and sclerotial development in culture. Kaul (1997) also reviewed recent 

advances in the reproductive biology and ecophysiology of morels that pertain to 

attempts at artificial cultivation. As Volk (1991) clearly indicated, morels have a 

complex life cycle that complicates the process of scaling up cultivation methods to 

efficient commercial procedures.

For instance, morels appear to need the intermediate stage of sclerotia formation (Ower and others 1986, 1988, 1989; Volk 1991) before they will fruit. Some 

evidence suggests that this stage occurs when the mycelium runs out of food within 

its growth substrate (Amir and others 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995a, 1995b), whereas 

others conclude that nutritional deficits are not necessary for sclerotia formation 

(Singh and Verma 2000, Volk and Leonard 1989b). Although Kaul (1997) concluded that the nutritional needs of morels are simple and similar among species; 

Aegerter (1995), Barnes and Wilson (1998), Güler (2000), Stamets (2000), Stott 

and Mohammed (2004), and Winder (2006) asserted that growth substrates and 

their nutritional composition affect mycelial characteristics and sclerotia formation. 

For instance, Arkan and Güler (1991), Sharma and others (1997b), and Singh and 

others (1999) provided specific substrate and nutritional formulations for sclerotia 

production without nutrient deficits. Arranging nutritional deficits in a commercial 

morel cultivation operation might result in delayed or decreased production, hence 

selecting morel strains that do not require nutritional scarcity to induce sclerotia 

formation might enhance profitability. Singh and others (1999), Stamets (2000), 

Morels have a 

complex life cycle 

that complicates the 

process of scaling up 

cultivation methods to 

efficient commercial 

procedures.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

56

Stott and others (2002), Stott and Mohammed (2004), and Volk and Leonard (1989a) 

discussed the importance of strain selection for enhancing sclerotial development. 

In fact, Stamets (2000) speculated that strain selection has been critical to the 

success of the cultivation methods pioneered by Ower, Malachowski, and Mills 

because no one else has been able to successfully replicate their methods. Volk and 

Leonard (1989b) also noted that darkness is required for sclerotia to develop, and 

that once formed, they likely also need specific environmental clues to germinate 

and form fruiting bodies (Volk 1991). Perhaps the “falling film ice slurry system” 

(EPRI 1998) noted in the previous section is a means to break sclerotial dormancy.

Strain selection also is important for desirable aroma and taste.23 As Coombs 

(1994) noted, some disagreement existed regarding the flavor of morels cultivated 

by Morel Mountain in the early 1990s. Bensoussan and others (1995) contended 

that the aroma of morels differs by strain, and Leonard and Volk (1992) concluded 

that there is ample potential for selecting strains of morels with good flavor and 

optimal growth characteristics for cultivation. Doing so will require some research, 

however. Each additional criterion that is added to strain selection trials can 

exponentially increase the number of strains that need to be tested for an optimal 

mix of desirable characteristics. For instance, if only the best 1 out of 10 strains 

is selected for flavor, and the same selection criterion is applied to strains for best 

speed of growth, sclerotia formation, ease of triggering sclerotia to fruit, and high 

productivity, then the number of strains that would need to be tested for these five 

characteristics would be 105 or 100,000 strains. If more strains are tested for any 

one of these characteristics, or other criteria were added, the number would be even 

higher. Although methods likely exist to simplify and streamline such selection processes, there are clear limits to how cost-effectively strain selection can be applied 

to enhance morel production because testing some of these characteristics can be 

time-consuming and expensive. Although strain selection and breeding are integral 

components of all mushroom cultivation (Chang and Miles 2004), the complexity of 

the morel life cycle significantly increases the number of characteristics that must 

be tested and thus the expense.

23Cultivated fungal strains are typically either haploid (derived from a single spore) or dikaryotic (from two germinating spores with compatible mating types that are allowed to anastomose). Even if a cultivated Morchella strain is haploid, it is likely to be multikaryotic (many 

copies of the same haploid nucleus per cell). Likely, it is possible to cultivate heterokaryotic 

Morchella mycelia in pure culture, but doing so could complicate selection for particular traits 

because expression of those traits might be controlled by competition among dissimilar genes 

on the different nuclei.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

57

Another factor complicates and increases the expense of strain selection for 

morel cultivation. A morel mycelium grows quickly in culture, but not for long. 

Cultured morel strains quickly senesce, losing their vigor and viability, so strains 

must be repeatedly reselected from spore cultures (Barnes and Wilson 1998, 

Stamets 2000). Such spore cultures can be obtained from morel strains that have 

already been screened for desirable characteristics; however, additional screening 

could be needed because some of the genetically different offspring might no longer 

retain an optimal mix of cultivation characteristics. Lastly, Stott and Mohammed 

(2004) made the point that resolving issues of morel taxonomy and species identification would greatly enhance comparative studies of morel growth characteristics. 

Such knowledge would be especially relevant to cultivation efforts if there are 

differences among morel species in how they preferentially obtain nutrition and 

what triggers them to fruit.

Prospects—While cultivation of morels on large commercial scales is being refined, other approaches also exist. For instance, a quick search of the World Wide 

Web reveals several companies in the United States that sell morel-growing kits 

for outdoor cultivation. We know of no trials that evaluate the efficacy of such kits. 

Because the inoculum is introduced into ideal habitat for morels, wild morels might 

already have colonized the habitat and fruited anyway. On the other hand, there 

is no obvious reason why introducing morel mycelium to ideal habitat would not 

work. How many morels fruit, how reliably they fruit, and how long a patch fruits 

likely all depend on local circumstances and the strain that is being sold. The buyer 

will just have to experiment to determine whether this method is worth their while.

If it is so difficult to induce morels to fruit in culture, why not simply grow and 

sell the mycelium as food or flavoring? This would be very easy to do because morel mycelium grows fast, needs only simple nutrients, and would not require strain 

selection for sclerotia or fruiting characteristics. Patents for producing mushroom 

concentrates, essences, and extracts by growing mycelium in liquid culture were 

filed by Szuecs (1950), and edible mushroom products were added to the list in a 

subsequent patent (Szuecs 1958). Gilbert (1961) reported that Szuecs included M. 

hortensis isolates in his trials of various edible mushrooms and it worked well. 

Gilbert subsequently expanded on this submerged culture work by conducting trials 

with a selection of 10 Morchella strains representing what he considered several 

morel species. He found they all were easy to cultivate and grew as uniform spheres 

of mycelium. He reported the harvested mycelium tasted as good as the sporocarps, 

although the strains he grew differed in flavor. He reported that frozen, dried, and 

powdered mycelium, as well as extracts, all retained flavor. By contrast, Bensoussan 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

58

and others (1995) used chromatographic profiles to compare the concentrations of 

odor-causing molecules in fresh and rehydrated morels and morel mycelium. They 

concluded that rehydrated morels retain more odor molecules compared to rehydrated mycelium. How this finding relates to the taste of rehydrated morel mushrooms 

versus rehydrated mycelium, especially in cooked products, is not clear.

Although inexpensive to produce, mycelial products lack the visual allure and 

cooking characteristics of an actual morel mushroom, therefore they are unlikely 

to command the same prices. Nevertheless, these products might very well obtain 

some market share as food additives, for instance in powdered sauce mixes.

Lastly, genetic modification of cultivated foods is a rapidly advancing field that 

could easily be applied to morels. The Handbook of Fungal Technology (Arora 

and others 2004) describes already developed techniques for modifying fungi. 

Morchella strains could be modified to improve flavor, enhance nutritional value, 

facilitate cultivation, or remove allergens or toxic compounds. If, however, propagules from genetically modified morels escaped into natural settings, wild populations of the same species of morel might more rapidly incorporate such altered 

genes than would wild populations of plants from the release of pollen or seeds 

from genetically modified members of their species. As micro-organisms, morels 

have the potential to grow and reproduce more rapidly than many plants do, and 

the apparent ability of morel mycelium to incorporate new nuclei into an already 

established heterokaryotic mycelia might hasten the spread of such altered genetic 

material. Whether modified genomes would negatively affect wild populations is 

hard to predict. Regardless, many consumers remain cautious about potential health 

risks from consuming genetically modified organisms. Wild-collected morels likely 

will have a value premium in markets for many years to come.

Collecting to Cooking

Harvesting—Mushroom chef Jack Czarnecki has described morels as “infuriatingly elusive” (Apple 1998) and, indeed, they are often well camouflaged. Most 

collectors in western forests have espied a morel that was actually a pine cone, or 

vice versa. Others describe the experience of having difficulty finding morels at 

the beginning of the season until they find the first one and fix the mental search 

image in their minds. Tales about the similarity of morel and Easter egg hunts 

abound. Kuo (2005), Lonik (2002), Thompson (1994), and Weber (1988) all provide 

thorough and enjoyable discussions of morel hunting. Whereas recreational morel 

harvesting can be a relaxing adventure, commercial morel harvesting is often very 

hard work (Brown and Marin-Hernandez 2000, LeVaux 2005). Not only must harvesters frequently walk long distances to find patches that have yet to be visited, but 

Wild-collected morels 

likely will have a value 

premium in markets for 

many years to come.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

59

cutting morels from their bases involves a lot of bending over. Harvesting in burned 

areas is often gritty and dirty, and without a forest canopy for protection, workers 

are directly exposed to rainstorms and intense late spring sunlight. Mosquitoes can 

be fearsome in the spring.

Commercial harvesters use a couple of strategies that they believe will maintain 

or enhance the productivity of morel patches. All mushroom buyers stipulate that 

the dirty bases of morels be cut off. Most buyers and harvesters recommend simply 

cutting morels off their stem rather than plucking them first and then trimming off 

the base. Cutting them in place does not disrupt the mycelium like plucking does. 

Especially when morel bases are attached to long tapered mycelial masses, such 

as those described by Buscot and Roux (1987) and Stamets (2005), leaving this 

mass in place is likely a good idea. How harmful such mycelial disruption truly 

is to morel colonies is simply not known, but it makes sense to err on the cautious 

side because cutting has other benefits. Cutting morels in place prevents additional 

handling and keeps the morels cleaner. Additionally, morels can have primordia 

(not-yet-expanded morel “buttons”) attached to their base. Left in place, these 

primordia have the potential to grow into harvestable morels if fruiting conditions 

remain favorable. In any case, there is no reason to believe that cutting morels does 

more harm than pulling, so given the practical reasons for cutting, the practice 

might as well be encouraged.

In areas where harvesters experience little or no competition, they often practice a technique known among themselves as “farming.” It consists of harvesting 

only large morels and returning in a few days to harvest the others after they have 

grown more. Less effort is required to harvest a pound of 3-inch-tall morels than to 

harvest a pound of 1-inch-tall morels, so this practice is economically effective if 

the patch is not too distant to revisit and if others don’t find and harvest the patch in 

the interim. Some harvesters also believe this allows morels to spread more spores, 

but this is only likely if the remaining morels are allowed to mature. In areas with 

open access and significant competition from other harvesters, revisiting partially 

harvested patches becomes less practical because others are likely to collect the 

smaller morels that were left behind.

Commercial mushroom hunters frequently use containers that are well ventilated. Morels can dry, become lighter, and lose fresh-weight value in such containers, 

but solid containers retain too much humidity and heat, thus providing a favorable 

environment for insects, mold, and bacteria that can quickly degrade morel quality. 

Another rationale for the aerated containers is that the morels might spread their 

spores through the holes or gaps in such containers while in transit from the field 

to the buying stations. Given that morel spores mature only when the morel itself 

There is no reason to 

believe that cutting 

morels does more harm 

than pulling.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

60

approaches maximum size, collections of fresh and young morels likely do not 

distribute viable spores from ventilated containers. As morels do near maturity, 

they become dry and can release large quantities of spores. Therefore, the efficacy 

of this method likely depends on the maturity of the morels being collected. Even 

if large numbers of spores are spread from such containers, we do not know if 

supplemental spore distribution helps to maintain morel populations or enhance 

their productivity. As with cutting morels from their bases, however, ventilated 

containers and potential spore distribution are unlikely to do any harm and might as 

well be encouraged because such containers keep the collected mushrooms in better 

condition anyway. Moore and others (2005) recommended that only food-grade 

containers be used for collecting to prevent collected morels from contamination by 

other substances. They also provided several recommendations for hygienic handling, temporary storage, and transportation to buyers. Anyone wishing to collect 

commercially can obtain a quick education in handling procedures from mushroom 

buyers because it is in their interest to purchase quality mushrooms. Old, dirty, 

crushed, moldy, crumbling, or insect-ridden morels have little value.

Processing—Kuo (2005), Lonik (2002), and Weber (1988) provided good general 

discussions of how individuals can process and preserve morels. Mushrooms are 

perishable and invariably deteriorate and dry in transit, thus morels intended for 

markets that sell fresh mushrooms are sorted for young specimens that are in good 

condition.

Drying morels is the preferred method of preservation. Morels should not be 

canned, as they have a low acid content necessitating high temperatures and pressure to avoid bacterial contamination (Weber 1988). Morels can certainly be frozen, 

but as with many other mushrooms, their texture is better preserved if they are sautéed briefly before freezing. Morels are easily and quickly dried because their flesh 

is thin and air can flow inside the hollow stem and head. They rehydrate quickly for 

the same reasons. Many connoisseurs of morels believe their flavor is concentrated 

and enhanced by drying and rehydration, so dried morels lose little value compared 

to fresh ones. Morels lose about 90 percent of their weight during the drying 

process (Crisan and Sands 1978, Pilz and others 2004). They gain 5 to 6 times their 

weight in water during rehydration (Kenney 1996). Although some heat can be used 

for drying morels, temperatures above 120 oF should be avoided. Dry, circulating 

air is much more effective than heat alone (Weber and others 1996). Home food 

driers with a fan and temperature control are very effective for small-scale use. If 

outdoor temperatures are warm and dry, morels can be dried on screens, strung up 

on fishing line threaded through them, or if no other means are available, spread 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

61

out in a single layer on tarps. Depending on humidity, warmth, and breezes, morels 

drying on tarps might need turning to prevent spoilage from lack of airflow. In 

remote locations without electricity or warm dry weather, harvesters and buyers 

improvise with wood stoves, propane heaters, and generators to run fans (Kenney 

1996). The same principles of warm, dry, circulating air apply.

Spores are often released in great abundance as morels dry, leaving easily 

visible yellow deposits. For both commercial and recreational harvesters, heavy 

spore loads in the air can be a health concern (Weber 1988, Weber and others 1996). 

Ventilation can be essential in commercial drying sheds. Recreational harvesters 

can also experience ill effects when drying morels at home, especially if food driers 

with fans blow the spores around indoors. Bronchial asthma, allergic conjunctivitis 

(inflamed eyelids), and rhinitis (inflamed nasal passages) are potential consequences 

(Benjamin 1995).

Marketing—Local, national, and international marketing of commercially collected morels is considered in greater detail in our section on “Morel Commerce.” 

Suffice it to say here that morels are marketed about every way conceivable. They 

are sold fresh and dried, in quantities and locations ranging from a few pounds at 

local restaurants to shipments of tons overseas. A given seller will often market 

morels in many different ways as prices fluctuate with supply and demand. Valueadded products, such as attractively packaged dried morels with a sauce mix and a 

story about the source of the morels, complement the shelves of many stores specializing in natural products. Kenney (1996) noted that so far there are no markets 

for morel powder, but there is for the morel chips that are left over from drying 

large batches of morels.

Culinary use—

“....they resembled dried-up brains”

Famous cook James Beard, remarking on how repulsive dried morels looked when he first

saw them in a store (Apple 1998).

Iqbal (1993) noted morels are quite nutritious. Dried morels are 42 percent highquality protein, low in calories, and rich in minerals. Although similar claims can 

be made for other mushrooms, most people do not eat morels solely for their nutrition. People eat morels because they taste so good.

Morels can cause digestive upset in some people (Beug 2004). Weber (1988) 

noted that such intestinal discomfort is more common with black morels than with 

yellow morels and that reactions are accentuated by the consumption of alcohol. 

Weber (1988) also noted that yellow morels have a milder taste but longer shelf 
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life than black morels. The cardinal rule is to always cook morels thoroughly24 and 

start with modest quantities until you become confident of no ill effects. Likewise 

with drinking alcohol before, during, or after a meal with morels; experimenting 

with small amounts is prudent, but most people can enjoy wine or other alcoholic 

beverages with morels. Some genera of fungi that are related to morels have toxins 

that are volatile (see next section), so it might not hurt to cook morels in a ventilated 

area (Arora 1986).

Morel recipes go as far back as Roman times when they were cooked with wine 

(Vehling 1977). Weber (1988) described yellow morels as having a delicate flavor 

that can be overwhelmed with spices but is suitable for simple to elaborate dishes. 

Wheeler (1996) said the strong flavor of morels pairs well with strongly flavored 

dishes such as beef goulash, French onion soup, or roasted duck with Madeira 

sauce. Everyone agrees they go well with butter and cream, but for those who 

eschew dairy products, olive oil works wonders too.

Many mushroom cookbooks include morel recipes and how to handle and prepare morels. Weber (1988) provided a thorough discussion of morel preparation and 

cooking. Ferndock and others (1986) offered a complete cookbook of morel recipes 

from Minnesota. Suggestions for handling and cooking morels, as well as recipes, 

also can be found in other books about morels such as those by Kuo (2005), Lonik 

(2002), Thompson (1994), and Weber (1988); and in mushroom cookbooks such as 

those by Czarnecki (1986), Fischer and Bessette (1992), and Wheeler (1996). This 

list of books that discuss morel cooking is by no means exhaustive.

Toxins and Contaminants

Toxins in look-alike mushrooms—Morels are related to similar mushrooms in the 

order Pezizales, especially some species in the genera Gyromitra and Verpa, that 

can cause digestive upset or worse. Some of these related fungi are traditionally eaten and even sold, but they can be risky and none are recommended. See figure 7 for 

illustrations of Gyromitra and Verpa, the two related genera most often confused 

with morels. We recommend consulting field guides with good color photographs to 

improve familiarity with the species that grow in your area, but we urge caution and 

skepticism concerning comments in older guides about edibility. Both Weber (1988) 

and Kuo (2005) thoroughly discussed these related species and provided excellent 

photographs.

24 All wild mushrooms should be cooked before consumption. Cooking destroys bacterial contaminants that might cause illness. For that matter all mushrooms, wild or cultivated, should 

be cooked to release their full nutritional value because chitin in their cell walls otherwise 

inhibits digestion.

The cardinal rule is to 

always cook morels 

thoroughly and start 

with modest quantities 

until you become 

confident of no ill 

effects.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

63

Benjamin (1995) and Weber (1988) likewise provided thorough discussions 

of the toxins found in these mushrooms and their effects on health. Because the 

literature they cite is extensive, we refer to their summaries for this section. Ethylidene gyromitrin is the most important initial poisonous compound. It breaks down 

during digestion into a variety of toxic hydrazines including monomethylhydrazine 

(MMH), a component of rocket fuel. Because it has a boiling point of 189.5 oF, 

cooking usually volatilizes the toxin. Although this might explain why some 

individuals eat these species with seeming impunity, it also means that the cook or 

others in a poorly ventilated room can be exposed to the inhaled vapors. The toxin 

also can persist in cooking water and be absorbed through broken skin.

Concentrations of gyromitrin differ by species. Concentrations even differ by 

the strain of a given species, so mushrooms collected in one area might be relatively 

safe, whereas the same species collected elsewhere could have high concentrations 

of toxic compounds. Additionally, people exhibit a range of tolerance and sensitivity to the toxins; children can be especially vulnerable to such poisoning. The 

toxins can accumulate in the body over time, and, as they accumulate with further 

consumption, there is a narrow threshold between no symptoms and a harmful or 

fatal reaction. One meal could thus trigger severe symptoms even though the person 

had eaten them previously with no perceived problems. In addition to the nasty 

symptoms of gyromitrin poisoning, the compound has been found to be mutagenic 

(inducing genetic mutations), teratogenic (causing malformed fetuses), and carcinogenic (causing cancer) in microbial and animal exposure trials.

Benjamin (1995) listed symptoms of acute poisoning that appear within 6 to 12 

hours and last up to 2 days as fullness and bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting with 

or without diarrhea, severe headache, and possibly fever. In severe poisoning, the 

damage can progress to jaundice, breakdown and disorders in red blood cells, fever, 

delirium, convulsions, and coma. Treatments include such procedures as management of severe hepatitis or liver failure, blood transfusions, medication for seizures, 

and dialysis for kidney failure.

In the Western United States, the two types of false morels most commonly 

eaten are the Gyromitra gigas complex of related species (the snowbank false morels) and Verpa bohemica (the early morel). In the United States, Gyromitra is rarely 

sold, but Verpa bohemica is sold in some locations (Benjamin 1995). Consumers 

of these fungi are gambling with their health and lives. Sellers of these fungi are 

gambling with fines, stricter regulations, or lawsuits. With so many delicious, safe, 

edible mushrooms available, why bother gambling?

Morel toxins—Morels are more likely to cause intestinal distress if eaten raw, although even raw, they can be tolerated by some people (Beug 2004). Weber (1988) 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

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listed only one example of a morel (M. esculenta) being tested for MMH; it had 

none. Benjamin (1995) cited no such studies, but noted that many people have experienced intestinal distress from uncooked or inadequately cooked morels. As an 

example, Benjamin (1995) and Kenney (1996) told the story of a retirement banquet 

in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a chief of police. A pasta salad with raw morel, 

shiitake, and button mushrooms was served, followed by 77 of the 483 attendees 

experiencing distress, many vomiting dramatically. 

Morels also can absorb toxic minerals and compounds from the soil where they 

grow. They are similar to many other wild mushrooms in this ability. The scientific 

literature on wild mushrooms absorbing heavy metals and radioactive nucleotides is 

especially voluminous in eastern Europe where polluting industries and the Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown have spread toxic compounds across large regions 

whose inhabitants have mushroom-collecting traditions (Kalač 2001).

Obst and others (2001) examined concentrations of 27 heavy metals in 16 

species of edible mushrooms and the soil where they grew. Samples were taken 

from polluted and presumably nonpolluted remote areas in the Canadian Northwest 

Territories near Yellowknife. In general, concentrations of toxic minerals were 

higher near pollution sources, such as the city of Yellowknife, roads, and especially 

mines, than farther away. Mushroom species also differed in their tendency to 

concentrate each of the sampled heavy metals. In a few cases, morels exhibited 

elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, and lead compared to other sampled morels, 

although the concentrations were not sufficiently high to be considered a health 

concern. Four morels collected from one site, however, did have concentrations of 

lead that could cause concern if a person ate a few pounds of them. They were burn 

morels collected 1,500 feet from a highway, but more than 40 miles from any other 

known pollution source. A second, more comprehensive report on this research will 

be available from Obst and others in 2007.

In addition to potential heavy metal absorption from pollution sources, in 

western North America, many acres are being treated with herbicides to control 

invasive weeds. Trappe and others (1984) reviewed the effect of pesticides on 

mycorrhizal fungi and concluded that different types of herbicides differed widely 

in their influence on mycorrhizal fungi and that host plant responses to the herbicides complicated interpretation of published data. Blanco-Dios (2002) reported the 

only research we found that examined the effect of herbicides on morels. The article 

described an area treated for 10 years with herbicides near Galicia in northwestern 

Spain where malformed sporocarps of M. conica appeared in 3 of the 4 years that 

morels fruited.

Another concern 

is whether morels 

can absorb toxic 

compounds from fire 

retardant slurries.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

65

Another potential concern is whether morels that fruit after fires can absorb 

toxic minerals or compounds from the chemical fire retardant slurries dropped by 

tanker planes to control forest wildfires. Such slurries consist primarily of fertilizer 

(ammonium polyphosphate), thickeners (clay), and in some cases, rust inhibitors 

(sodium ferrocyanide) (Fire-Trol Holdings, L.L.C. 1999). Toxicity is considered a 

minor concern for fish, plants, and wildlife, but none of these organisms adsorb and 

concentrate heavy metals from the soil as well as fungi. Even plants that absorb 

such compounds likely do so through the assistance of their mycorrhizal fungi. 

Most fertilizers have small levels of heavy metal contaminants, but natural soils 

have these compounds too. To date, no one has investigated whether heavy metals 

are present in retardant slurries in sufficient quantities to increase concentrations in 

morels that fruit where slurries were applied to fires the previous summer. Nor has 

there been any analysis of how likely it is that potential increases in concentration 

would pose a health risk to individuals who consumed morels collected from areas 

where retardants were applied. Retardant slurries are usually dyed orange so the 

aerial observers can tell if the load was dropped in the correct location. Colored 

slurry might remain stuck to tree trunks until the following spring if rainfall is light 

in the interim, so if harvesters note it, they might wish to hunt morels elsewhere 

until more is known about possible risks. The ground area targeted by slurry drops 

is typically a small percentage of the ground area of the fire, but pickers sometimes 

preferentially search for morels on the peripheries of fires (Keefer 2005) where 

slurry drops usually are targeted. If the fire kept burning, slurry drops might be 

anywhere within the perimeter of the burned area.

Public health regulations—Since the advent of wild mushroom commerce, concerns about the potential health risks of an unregulated wild mushroom industry 

have periodically surfaced. The major concern is that wild mushroom harvesters or 

buyers might inadvertently include toxic mushrooms such as Gyromitra or Verpa in 

with the edible varieties such as morels. Gecan and Cichowicz (1993) reported that 

in a 2-year survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA), they found that 21 percent of imported morel shipments (seven from France and two from India) contained potentially toxic lookalike species, specifically Gyromitra esculenta and Verpa bohemica. They cited 

several FDA reports that document instances of domestic poisoning by these two 

species found in batches of imported morels. During the period 1980-87, 13 shipments of imported morels were refused entry because they were found to include 

Gyromitra esculenta, Verpa bohemica, and Helvella species. In 1996, The FDA 
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66

issued an alert proscribing all importation without inspection, of all morels from 

two French companies that had repeatedly shipped morels admixed with Gyromitra 

esculenta and Verpa bohemica (FDA 1996).

Although it is highly unlikely that commercial harvesters or buyers in western 

North America would confuse other genera of mushrooms with morels, some consider Verpa bohemica safe and sell it. State and federal food safety agencies have 

long pressed for tighter controls on the sales of wild edible mushrooms, including 

morels. Many states, including Montana and Idaho, have provisions in their food 

safety codes requiring restaurants and other food purveyors to purchase wild 

mushrooms only from approved sources (Gadbow 2001a). Most states, however, 

have chosen not to enforce this regulation because it would be a prodigious task 

to set up a system for independently verifying the correct identification of all wild 

mushrooms that are collected and sold.

In winter 2005, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services shut 

down wild mushroom vendors at farmers’ markets in Los Angeles County (Brown 

2005). The official who made the decision to enforce the rule stated that the county 

had the duty to proactively prevent people from getting sick or dying from unsafe 

foods (Brown 2005). The director of one such market noted, “If the current process 

for harvesting wild mushrooms is not recognized by the Department of Health 

Services as an approved source, then all wild mushrooms will have to be eliminated 

from the hundreds of menus and thousands of tables of Los Angeles restaurateurs 

and consumers (Tumlin 2005).” He also pointed out the lack of any incidents 

where people have become ill or died from wild mushrooms purchased in farmers’ 

markets in the United States (Tumlin 2005). Under pressure from wild mushroom 

consumers and vendors, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services 

opted to cease enforcing the approved source provision of the food safety code for 

wild mushrooms.

Given the potential for morel toxicity discussed in this section, further investigation into sources of concern is warranted. On the other hand, with the exception 

of morels that were not properly cooked, we know of no documented instances of 

consumers being seriously poisoned by wild mushrooms that were commercially 

collected in western North America.

Morel Harvesters

Personal Use

Morel harvesting for home use is not only widespread in the Eastern United States, 

but has an organized tradition. Michigan’s competitive morel-hunting festivals are 

We know of no 

documented instances 

of consumers being 

seriously poisoned by 

wild mushrooms that 

were commercially 

collected in western 

North America.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

67

among the most famous. With slogans like “May is Morel Month in Michigan” 

(Hallen and others 2001), a variety of festivals are held, especially in the upper part 

of the lower peninsula (Weber 1988). Individuals often compete to collect the most 

or largest morels from a given area in a set time. Some such festivals like the Boyne 

City Mushroom Festival (http://morelfest.com/) and the Mesick Mushroom Festival 

(http://www.mesick-mushroomfest.org/) have occurred annually for nearly 50 years. 

Similar events are held in Mansfield, Indiana (http://www.mansfieldcoveredbridge.

com/other_festivals.php), Irvine, Kentucky (http://kaht.net/events/mmfest_1.htm), 

Richmond, Missouri (http://home.mchsi.com/~cofcommerce/MushFest2004.htm), 

Magnolia, Illinois (http://morelmania.com/ismmhc.html), Lewiston, Michigan,

and Red Wing, Minnesota. The morel enthusiast Web site called “Morel.com” 

(http://morels.com/) provides a recent listing of morel festivals in the Midwest and a 

bulletin board where people can post information about the progress of the season. 

Kuo (2005) described the competitive and social scenes at several of these festivals. 

Minnesota has even made the morel its state mushroom (Minnesota Statutes 1998).

Mushroom clubs and mycological societies also frequently sponsor morel hunts 

(called “forays”) in the spring. These provide the opportunity for inexperienced 

mushroom hunters to learn from those who are more experienced and from professional mycologists. Such forays allow participants to become familiar with appropriate habitat and fruiting clues. Fine (1998) wrote an entire book on the sociology 

and psychology of morel hunters, especially examining the relationships between 

amateurs and experts in mycological societies.

Mushroom clubs in the Western United States also sponsor morel forays. These 

often consist of weekend trips because people frequently must drive long distances 

between cities and prime morel habitat. Clubs that sponsor such forays include the 

Western Montana Mycological Association (http://fungaljungal.org/), the Puget 

Sound Mycological Society (http://psms.org/), the Oregon Mycological Society 

(http://www.wildmushrooms.org/), the Cascade Mycological Society (http://cascademyco.org/), the North American Truffling Society (http://www.natruffling.

org/), and the Mycological Society of San Francisco (http://www.mssf.org/). To find 

information about such forays, one sometimes has to log onto the member’s section 

of the Web site with a password. Boom (1995) described the enthusiasm that can 

accompany such outings.

Many morel hunters, however, simply search for morels individually or in small 

groups of family members or friends. If you know what you are doing, neither 

festival competitions nor organized forays are necessary to quash a case of spring 

fever with a good tromp through the woods in search of culinary prizes that result 

in a succulent dinner.
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Commercial

“In the East, most people report the number of specimens they found. In the 

West, where people are collecting in burns, they talk about the number of 

pounds they got.” 

Nancy Smith Weber (O’Driscoll 2001)

Number of harvesters—Data from sales of permits for commercial mushroom 

harvesting allow us to estimate the number of morel harvesters, field buyers, processors, and brokers in some areas. For instance, national forests in Montana issued 

3,642 commercial permits during the 2001 morel season (McLain and others 2005), 

although the correspondence between the number of harvesters and the number of 

permits issued is not one-to-one. Some harvesters obtain several less-expensive 

short-term permits, rather than one seasonal permit. Moreover, some harvesters 

obtain permits for several forests. Consequently, the number of individuals obtaining permits likely was lower than the number of permits issued. Two to three thousand would be a reasonable guess for the number of commercial morel harvesters 

working in western Montana in 2001. The number of morel harvesters working in 

western North America that year would be somewhat higher because not all commercial morel harvesters opted to work the Montana burns. According to McLain 

(2000), some circuit harvesters deliberately avoid hot spots, preferring to make their 

money on the margins where they experience less competition. In addition, some 

morel harvesters do not like the working conditions in the burns, preferring to work 

in areas where the forest canopy is thicker and where they don’t have to breathe in 

ash as they collect.

Ethnic diversity—People from a variety of ethnic groups and races participate 

in the morel harvest. Caucasians, members of First Nations or American Indian 

tribes, Southeast Asians (predominately from Laos and Cambodia), and Latinos 

(predominantly from Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador) are the most common. 

An unknown, but likely significant percentage of the Latino harvester population 

in the United States consists of undocumented workers from Mexico and Central 

American countries. The relative percentage of different ethnic groups is difficult 

to estimate and likely varies by location and from year to year. As a very rough approximation of ethnic background, Parks and Schmitt (1997) analyzed 1994 permit data from national forests in eastern Oregon for broad categories of surnames. 

They found that 51.3 percent of the harvesters obtaining permits had Southeast 

Asian surnames, 44.2 percent had European surnames, and 4.5 percent had Latino 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

69

surnames. Permit data for 1996 to 1998 for the Sisters Ranger District on the 

Deschutes National Forest in central Oregon indicated that out of 271 harvesters 

who had obtained permits, 62 percent of the harvesters had European surnames, 

28 percent had Southeast Asian surnames, and 10 percent had Latino surnames 

(McLain 2000).

Residence—Most commercial morel harvesters do not live near the places where 

they harvest morels. For example, Parks and Schmitt (1997) found that 73 percent 

of the permits issued to harvesters in eastern Oregon national forests went to people 

who came from other locations, and only 27 percent went to people who lived 

nearby. McLain (2000) found that 59 percent of the 271 harvesters who obtained 

permits on the Sisters Ranger District from 1996 to 1998 lived in western Oregon, 

27 percent lived in other states (generally Washington or California), and only 14 

percent lived in nearby central Oregon. Wills and Lipsey (1999) found that most 

morel harvesters and buyers working in the Yukon came from British Columbia. 

Likewise, the majority of the harvesters on the 1991 Tok River Fire in central 

Alaska came from elsewhere (Wurtz and others 2005).

Income strategies—Although no one mushroom harvesting site in the Pacific 

Northwest produces commercial quantities of wild mushrooms all year long, harvesters and buyers can make a full-time living with wild mushroom crops by moving around various circuits to collect different types of mushrooms (Arora 1999). 

Subsequent sections describe strategies that harvesters and buyers use to extend 

their harvest seasons and secure year-round income. McLain (2000) and McLain 

and others (2005) provided more detailed descriptions of how harvesters and buyers 

participating in the central Oregon and western Montana morel harvest use these 

adaptive strategies.

Mobility—The ability to move from place to place to take advantage of the flushes 

of wild morels is extremely important to commercial harvesters. Mobility is important at two spatial scales–within a harvest area (such as the perimeter of a wildfire) 

and among multiple harvest locations (some might be in different states or regions). 

Over time, harvesters accumulate knowledge and experience about mushroom 

fruiting patterns at both scales. Within a harvest location, morels might fruit at different times in response to features such as tree stands, swales, hillocks, or drainages. Elevation or snow packs could be the determinants of different fruiting times 

among widely spaced harvest locations. Using their knowledge of fruiting patterns 

at these two scales, harvesters tend to develop “patch-lines” within harvest locations and “harvest site portfolios” across broader geographic areas.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

70

Patch-lines—Many harvesters develop “patch-lines” when harvesting natural black 

or other nondisturbance morels. A morel patch is a small area where a concentrated 

group of morels is fruiting or has been known to fruit. Patch-lines consist of a series of morel patches visited sequentially within a larger area that a harvester roams 

on a regular basis. Such repeated visits allows harvesters to keep track of what is 

happening in multiple locations, while keeping their patches picked down thereby 

reducing the chance that other harvesters will find their patches.

Morel patches can range in size from 1 to 100 square feet or more. Patch-lines 

that are revisited can, for instance, be spread over miles of walking or scattered 

among multiple spots that can be conveniently visited with vehicles from a base 

camp. Patch-lines might be visited every several days or weekly. Morels often 

put on a spurt of simultaneous growth called a flush (noun) or flushing (verb). 

Harvesters who have worked in an area for a long time begin to develop a sense 

of when a patch or even portions of a patch will flush. Using this knowledge, they 

are able to work the area very efficiently. Developing and working patch-lines is 

particularly important when commercial harvesters are focusing on natural black 

or mountain blond morels because they tend to fruit in the same location each year. 

Other ectomycorrhizal mushroom species also fruit in nearly the same location 

each year, so this characteristic of natural black and mountain blond morels might 

reflect mycorrhizal relations with specific host trees. Although patch-lines are less 

important for harvesting ephemeral burn morels, even these morels can produce 

multiple flushes within the first year following a fire, and knowledgeable harvesters 

can often predict where to search next. Patch-lines are integral to the practice of 

“farming” described previously in the “Harvesting” subsection of the “Collecting to 

Cooking” section.

Harvest site portfolios—Mobility at the subregional, regional, and occasionally 

international scales is also an important aspect of most commercial morel harvesters’ and buyers’ lives. Many mushroom harvesters develop harvest site portfolios 

by becoming familiar with a variety of locations where morels fruit. When the crop 

is poor in one area, they have alternatives. Such portfolios differ in their geographic 

extent. For example, McLain’s (2000) study of wild mushroom harvesters in central 

Oregon identified three major categories of harvesters–local harvesters who tended 

to collect morels only in the central Oregon Cascades and Ochoco Mountains, another group that shifted back and forth between the Willamette Valley and the east 

side of the Oregon Cascades, and a third that followed mushroom circuits ranging from northern California to Alaska, and from the Pacific coast to the Rocky 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

71

Mountains. In Canada, harvesters from British Columbia travel to the Yukon, 

Northwest Territories, or Saskatchewan to harvest morels during late spring and 

summer; back to British Columbia to harvest chanterelles and American matsutake 

in late summer and fall; and some then travel south to the United States to harvest 

American matsutake and other late fall and winter mushrooms (de Geus 1995). A 

recent study of morel harvesters in southeastern British Columbia indicated a similar pattern; full-time commercial harvesters of nontimber forest products began the 

work year with morels in the spring, shifted to berries and boletes in the summer, 

collected American matsutake in the fall, and harvested salal and boughs in the 

winter (Natural Resources Canada 2004).

Morel harvest site portfolios, however, must be more flexible than portfolios 

for wild edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms, such as boletes, American matsutake, 

and chanterelles. These types of mushrooms, as well as some populations of natural 

black and mountain blond morels, tend to fruit in the same locations each year, 

so harvesters develop portfolios consisting of collecting spots where they have 

previously harvested commercial quantities. By contrast, the large flushes of burn 

and gray morels that follow fires, and the substantial flushes of natural black and 

mountain blond morels that often follow tree death or soil disturbance, are typically scattered across the landscape in patterns that are unpredictable more than 

a year or so in advance. Both harvesters and buyers evaluate the location, timing, 

and intensity of the previous year’s fires to plan their upcoming season’s itinerary 

(Rommelmann 2005). Knowledge of how regional differences in topography, elevation, forest types, and weather patterns affect morel fruiting helps harvesters refine 

their travel plans to harvest the most morels with the least time, cost, and effort.

Morels can be harvested 6 to 8 months a year if harvesters are willing to travel 

extensively. Such a large morel circuit typically begins in late February to early 

March in the Sierra Nevada Range, near Mount Shasta in northern California, and 

in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. Circuit harvesters then move 

north and east between mid-March to mid-May to the east side of the Cascade 

Range in Washington and Oregon. Depending on the weather and the location of 

large fires in the previous years, such harvesters might then shift around mid to late 

May to the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon, higher elevations of the Cascade 

Range in southern Oregon, and to low-elevation sites in Idaho and Montana. Some 

harvesters move into British Columbia, the Yukon, and Alaska during July and 

August. Others remain in the Rocky Mountains, Cascade Range, and the northern 

Sierra Nevada mountains, moving upward in elevation as the summer advances. 

Although gray morels can fruit as late as October in parts of the northern Rockies, 

Large flushes of morels 

that follow fires and 

tree death are scattered 

and unpredictable.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

72

most morel circuit harvesters shift into harvesting other mushrooms by September 

at the latest.

Diversification—People unwilling or unable to follow such geographically large 

harvesting circuits often combine money earned from mushroom harvesting or 

buying with income from other occupations such as working in forestry, logging, 

collecting other nontimber forest products, farming, gold panning, jewelry making, 

woodworking, construction work, or caring for young, infirm, or elderly individuals. Disability or retirement plans also supplement some of the income of some 

individuals (Arora 2000, Hansis 1998, Love and others 1998, McLain 2000, McLain 

and others 2005, Natural Resources Canada 2004). Nontimber forest products commonly harvested by morel harvesters when they are not hunting mushrooms include 

(but are not limited to) salal, beargrass, huckleberries, fiddlehead ferns, moss, ornamental cones, and tree seed. The strategy of harvesting diverse types of mushrooms 

and other forest products allows some harvesters and buyers to make a reasonably 

good living (Arora 1999), but others struggle financially (Hansis 1998, Love and 

others 1998). Buyers are more likely to specialize in purchasing a particular product (such as morels) or type of product (such as wild edible mushrooms), whereas 

harvesters are more likely to harvest a diverse array of forest products (McLain and 

others 2005), although considerable overlap exists between the harvest strategies of 

these groups, as well as the individuals involved.

Cooperation—Despite the sometimes-fierce competition in the morel industry, 

relationships between harvesters and buyers are typically characterized by mutual 

interdependence (McLain 2000). Harvesters depend on buyers to purchase their 

products, but buyers are also dependent on harvesters for bringing in a sufficient 

quantity of morels of adequate quality to meet the demands of their business sponsors or customers. Information is a particularly important form of social currency, and buying stations constitute one of the most important sites of information 

exchange. Buyers attract harvesters primarily by establishing prices and grading 

systems that harvesters perceive as better than those offered by competing buyers. 

But the information a harvester can learn from a buyer, or at a buying station, also 

has value. Buyers generally interact with numerous harvesters working in various 

parts of the forest. Through the banter that takes place in the buying station, buyers pick up valuable information on ground conditions and fruiting patterns over a 

wider area than one individual, family, or crew alone can cover. Buyers often pass 

this information on to other harvesters, usually in the form of general hints about 

elevations and habitat types where morels are fruiting best, rather than in the form 

of specific locations. Over time, many harvesters establish close ties with specific 

Information is a 

particularly important 

form of social currency, 

and buying stations 

constitute one of the 

most important sites of 

information exchange.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

73

buyers, and will often preferentially sell to them. The power dynamics of these mutually interdependent relationships, however, are often skewed in favor of the buyer.

Besides exchanging information, mushroom harvesters and buyers help each 

other out in other ways, such as lodging, hauling water, camping, getting firewood, 

or transportation. Buyers regularly front gas money to harvesters who run out of 

money. Harvesters with working vehicles often link up with other harvesters whose 

vehicles have broken down, or cannot drive for other reasons. For instance, LeVaux 

(2005) described harvesters negotiating boat rides to access and remove harvested 

morels from remote areas of 2004 wildfires near Tok, Alaska, during the morel 

harvest season of 2005. McLain and others (2005) even described buyers helping 

each other establish new buying stations in unfamiliar territory or to purchase a 

different type of mushroom.

Most morel harvesters work with at least one other partner. Southeast Asian 

harvesters usually camp and harvest as large extended family units. Latinos 

often work in crews. Caucasian harvesters tend to work with one or two partners. 

Extended families and crewmembers often pool their money. To save gas money, 

some harvesters can serve as scouts seeking more productive sites. Finding not-yetharvested areas involves a lot of walking (LeVaux 2005), and hiking with partners, 

families, or teams is safer.

Motivations—Income is only one of the factors that motivate commercial morel 

harvesters (McLain 2000). Many seek to avoid, or take breaks from, jobs considered rigid or inflexible even though they supply more reliable income. Mushroom 

hunting provides an opportunity to leave behind the worries and cares of hectic 

home lives, to reconnect with nature or one’s own spirituality, as well as to share 

adventures with friends and family in intimate settings. Some consider morel hunting to be stress therapy, an opportunity to kick back, or simply the chance to enjoy 

spending time in the outdoors. The sense of adventure, the challenge of the hunt, 

the thrill of discovery, and a feeling of accomplishment are likewise rewarding. In 

all these respects, commercial morel hunters differ little from recreational harvesters (Love and others 1998). Individuals who derive most of their income from 

mushroom hunting also value the self-reliant, independent lifestyle (Arora 2000).

Wages—Experienced morel harvesters can earn more than $1,000 per day when 

they find a combination of abundant high-quality mushrooms, low competition or 

a superior harvesting strategy, and favorable purchase prices (LeVaux 2005). Most 

harvesters, however, earn modest wages for hard work. Acker (1986) said that an 

average wage for a mushroom harvester in the mid-1980s was $830 seasonally, 

with a few people earning a maximum of $4,000. Obst and Brown (2000) reported 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

74

an average wage of $15 per hour (all wages converted to U.S. currency) for morel 

harvesters in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Keefer (2005) reported average 

daily earnings for morel harvesters in British Columbia of $75, with $125 per day 

possible for the best harvesters. Other authors, such as Guin (1997), reported that 

such wages might be standard for experienced harvesters, but the majority of mushroom harvesters earn far less, and many, particularly those with little or no experience, lose money. Harvesters do, however, usually get paid immediately in cash. 

Alexander and others (2002a) examined how harvester net wages can be calculated. 

Important variables include minimum wage expectations in a given market and 

harvester costs. As an example, rising fuel costs reduce the profitability of harvesting mushrooms from remote locations or when traveling between harvest sites in a 

portfolio of harvest locations.

Opinions about forest management—Morel harvesters have complex and varied 

opinions about forest management that reflect the complexity of the interactions 

between morel fruiting, forest conditions, and disturbance events. McLain (2000) 

provided a few illustrative examples from interviewing harvesters and buyers during the spring season mushroom harvest near Sisters, Oregon.

Harvesters who started collecting around Sisters in the late 1970s and early 

1980s appreciated the many gravel or dirt logging roads that provided access to 

areas that otherwise would have required a long walk. They discovered that natural black morels often grew in the lightly bladed spur roads and cat trails within 

logging units, where soil had recently been disturbed. Many “old-timers” learned 

a technique known as “roadhunting,” driving slowly along spur roads looking for 

morels and boletes close to the road. Because such roads were not maintained, 

harvesters felt frustrated by the gradual decline in convenient access to many 

harvest areas.

Harvesters at Sisters appreciate light stand disturbances, such as stand thinning, 

selective logging, and controlled burns; they often target such areas in their search 

for morels. However, they also criticize practices that remove most of the trees over 

large areas, such as seed-tree cuts or clearcuts. They maintain that removing most 

mature trees destroys their natural morel patches for years. Though morels are more 

likely to be found in thinned or logged areas for a year or two after harvest, experienced harvesters believe that logging large contiguous areas of trees is detrimental 

to morel mycelia in the long run.

Harvesters also note that widespread insect infestations can produce substantial 

morel crops. For instance, the Douglas-fir tussock moth killed white fir throughout 

large areas east of the crest of the Cascade Range during the last two decades. 

During the height of the die-off in 1987-93, natural black morels fruited abundantly 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

75

in the dying stands. Harvesters attributed this abundance to the increase in soil 

organic matter from fallen fir needles. People who had harvested the area prior to 

the die-off also noted a surge in bolete production as the trees died. They attributed 

this abundant fruiting to a reproductive strategy on the part of the dying mycelia to 

spread numerous spores that might start new colonies in healthier stands. Regardless of why abundant fruiting occurred as the trees died, both morels and boletes 

are now less abundant in these stands. Harvesters have mixed views, however, on 

the decision by the USFS to forgo intensive cutting or spraying to control the tussock moth. Some felt that the decision was a good one in the long run. By contrast, 

the adjacent Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation chose to 

control the infestation, and others point to their healthy mixed-conifer stands and 

productive bolete patches as an example of what could have been done to retain 

viable mushroom habitat.

Morel Commerce

International

International commerce in morels is extensive and voluminous. Boa (2004) listed 

morels as considered edible in 28 countries, a conservative figure given that many 

countries simply have no documentation of their edibility. Excluding Korea, Japan, 

Taiwan, and western Europe, Boa (2004) found information on morels published 

in the following countries: Afghanistan, Argentina, Belarus, Botswana, Bulgaria, 

Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, 

Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, and 

the United States. Morels are highly valued as an export commodity, but they are 

not always eaten in the countries that export them.

Iqbal (1993) provided an overview of global commerce in morels. India, Pakistan, Turkey, Nepal, Bhutan, the United States, Canada, and China, are the largest 

exporters of dried morels, although many other countries participate. France, 

Switzerland, and Germany are the main importers, although companies in France 

sometimes process imported morels and then export them. Globally, 300,000 

pounds of dried morels are traded annually. This represents nearly 3 million pounds 

of fresh morels. One-third of that total originates from India and another third from 

Pakistan. Prices for dried morels in 1993 averaged around $50 to $60 per dried 

pound, thus international commerce in morels that year was worth approximately 

$15 to $18 million. At 90 percent moisture content, prices for fresh morels would be 

the equivalent of $5 to $6 per pound. Because harvesters only receive a third to a half 

of final retail prices, their income might be $2 to $3 per pound. Still this represents 

Globally, 300,000 

pounds of dried morels 

are traded annually.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

76

a lucrative enterprise in rural areas of less developed countries. For instance, Prasad 

and others (2002) reported that morel harvesting is a vital economic activity for 

communities in the central Himalayas at 5,900 to 11,800 feet in elevation. Morels 

are several times more valuable than local medicinal herbs. Almost all families 

participate in collecting morels and many people set annual fires to stimulate crops. 

Morel harvesting is also extensive in the northern Indian states of Jammu, Kashmir, 

and Himachal Pradesh, and in the hilly regions of Uttar Pradesh (Singh and Verma 

2000). Sharma and others (1997a) reported that two strains of morels grow in this 

region, one prewinter (August-October) and one postwinter (March-May). Turkey 

also exports large quantities of morels, but more of their morels are shipped fresh 

than morels from India because Turkey is located close to European Union countries, and shipping time is correspondingly reduced.

Morels also are exported to Europe from many other places around the world. 

For instance, in September 2005 there was a large fruiting of morels in the coastal 

zone between Santiago and Concepcion in Chile. Local harvesters sold their fresh 

morels for $4.50 per pound.25 Exported crops of fresh morels from the Southern 

Hemisphere might enjoy a price advantage because they are available during the 

off-season for fresh morels north of the equator.

Iqbal (1993) asserted that the quality of morel exports from some regions is 

hampered by remote locations, lack of processing facilities and equipment, 

uneducated harvesters, and unhygienic collecting and processing methods. Global 

trade in wild mushrooms is still an expanding industry, and most harvesters and 

buyers are aware of the importance of quality (Boa 2004), so harvest, transport, 

and processing conditions might have improved since Iqbal’s 1993 report.

North America

Large-scale commercial harvesting of morels began in western North America 

in the 1980s along with the general increase in global demand for wild-harvested 

mushrooms. In North America, the demand for wild foods increased, and wild 

mushrooms figured among the newly sought-after delicacies (Burros 1985, Fabricant 1980, Jenkins 1985). European demand for North American mushrooms also 

grew as nitrogen deposition from power plant air pollution reduced wild mushroom 

productivity in Europe during the 1980s (Arnolds 1995) and concerns grew about 

radionucleotide contamination of wild mushrooms as a result of fallout from the 

1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident (Kalač 2001).

25 Palfner, Götz. 2005. Personal communication. Biologist, Departamento de Ciencias 

Químicas, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar 01145, Casilla 54-D, Temuco IX 

Región, Chile.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

77

The market for wild morels expanded at a time when the number of people 

available to harvest wild mushrooms also increased. Growing international demand 

coincided with an influx of Southeast Asian refugees to both the United States and 

Canada combined with extensive layoffs in the wood products industry that left 

many timber and mill workers looking for other forms of forest-based employment. 

One attraction of harvesting wild mushroom for some Southeast Asian immigrants 

is that harvesters who speak or write English poorly, or who lack technological 

workplace skills, can still make a decent living (Hansis 1998).

For more detail about the history of commercial mushroom harvesting in the 

Pacific Northwest region of North America, consult Amaranthus and Pilz (1996), 

Hansis (1998), Jones and others (2002), Love and others (1998), McLain and others 

(1998), Molina and others (1993), Pilz and Molina (2002), or Redhead (1997).

Ecological conditions in the forests of western North America concurrently 

contributed to large morel crops. Fire suppression, past logging practices, and 

controversies about appropriate management of public lands combined to produce a 

landscape of dense young stands prone to wildfires and drought stress. On the east 

side of the Cascades and in the northern Rockies, the drought years of the 1980s 

resulted in an unusually large number of extensive forest fires (Parks and Schmitt 

1997). The drought also weakened large stands of white fir in the eastern Cascades, 

making them more susceptible to the tussock moth, spruce budworm, and pine 

beetle infestations that had gained a foothold in the region in the 1970s. Fire morels 

fruited abundantly during these years, attracting thousands of new harvesters to the 

mountains of eastern Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana (Parks and Schmitt 

1997). At Sisters, Oregon, and other sites along the eastern Cascades, natural black 

morels also appeared in unusually large quantities in areas with heavily infected 

and dying white fir stands (McLain 2000). By the early 1990s, harvesters and buyers had established a tradition of following the burns, or alternatively, harvesting 

natural morel crops during years when no new burns were available.

Economics

Value—Although data on wild mushroom commerce are rarely collected, in 

1985 Jerry Larson, a trade development analyst with the Oregon Department of 

Agriculture, estimated that the “fledgling wild mushroom industry” contributed 

$21.5 million to the Northwest economy each year (McRobert 1985). Schlosser and 

Blatner (1995) estimated the same market at $41.1 million in 1992. Morels constituted 1.3 million pounds of the approximately 3.9 million pounds of wild mushrooms 

sold in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho that year, and morel harvesters earned about 

$5.2 million.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

78

Blatner and Alexander (1998) outlined prices for some of the most significant 

commercially harvested fungi in the Pacific Northwest. It has been estimated that 

as many as 36 species are traded commercially, but American matsutake, chanterelles, morels, and boletes make up the bulk of the industry. The average price 

paid to harvesters for morels in the Pacific Northwest United States from 1992 to 

1996 was $5.04 per pound. Obst and Brown (2000) reported that the prices paid to 

harvesters for fresh morels in their study averaged about $3.08 per pound. They 

found that harvesters could harvest an average of 19.8 pounds per person per day. 

Actual harvesting time per day was 3 to 4 hours. In their 2001 study of morel 

markets in Montana, McLain and others (2005) found that prices for fresh morels 

varied through the season, and Kenney (1996) discussed how global supplies and 

European demand determine prices. At the beginning of the season around early 

May, when supplies were low and demand was high, prices began at $8 to $10 per 

pound. Within 2 weeks, prices dropped to $4.50 per pound and then to an average 

of about $3 per pound for the remainder of the season.

Obst and Brown (2000) in their 1998 study of morel markets in the Northwest 

Territories, Canada, reported a seasonal increase in prices for dried morels that had 

been consistent for the past 10 years. In June, dried morels were sold to international retailers for $32 to $55 per pound. In July, the price increased to $69 to $76 

per pound. In August, dried morels sold for $101 per pound, and in September the 

price increased to $174 per pound. Keefer (2005) reported an average price of $35 

per dried pound of morels in the 2004 season in British Columbia. The usefulness 

of drying and holding morels for sale later in the year depends on the cost of drying 

and holding the mushrooms and the international supply of dried morels in any 

given year.

In fiscal year 2000, the BLM issued 773 permits in Washington, Oregon, and 

California for 52,240 pounds of fungi, with permit sales totaling $15,185. Not all 

permits stipulated a particular mushroom species, but 11 were specifically for 

morels. The USFS sold $226,205 worth of commercial permits that year for mushrooms. Although for some species and in some areas, compliance with purchasing 

permits is relatively high, these figures still represent far less than the total western 

mushroom trade (Alexander and others 2002b).

More recently, the Pacific Northwest (Region 6) of the USFS (Oregon and 

Washington) has instituted a program of recording commercial mushroom permit 

sales and estimated quantities harvested as part of its regionwide Automated 

Timber Sales Accounting System. This system now tracks the sales of harvesting 

permits for various special forest products by each national forest for each calendar 

quarter. Table 3 summarizes the reported value of permits sold and estimated quantities of mushrooms harvested on the various national forests of Region 6 during 

The usefulness of 

drying and holding 

morels for sale later 

in the year depends 

on the cost of drying 

and holding the 

mushrooms and the 

international supply 

of dried morels in any 

given year.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

79

the winter and spring quarters of 2004 and 2005. These sales values should predominantly reflect permits sold for morel harvesting because few other mushrooms 

are commercially harvested at this time of year, most such permits are of limited 

duration, and most spring permits are only for morels.

It should be noted that the number of people who visit the national forests of the 

Pacific Northwest United States to harvest morels for personal use far exceeds the 

number of commercial harvesters. Data are lacking on the total quantities of morels 

collected by each group, but recreational spending by personal-use harvesters indicates that personal-use harvesting represents a significant local economic activity. 

The USFS provides more programmatic support for personal-use morel harvesting 

than for commercial harvesting.26

26 Duran, Frank. 2006. Personal communication. Special Forest Products Coordinator, Region 

6, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, P.O. Box 3623, Portland, OR 97208-3623.

Table 3—Estimated quantities of morels harvesteda and value of commercial mushroom permits 

sold on national forests in Oregon and Washington during 2004 and 2005

 January-June 2004 January-June 2005

National forest Quantity Permit values QuantityPermit values

 Pounds Dollars Pounds Dollars

Colville  5,225  1,045  b

Deschutes 119,544 74,642 67,800  66,088

Fremont-Winema 202,660 202,100  140,240  139,520

Gifford Pinchot 224,657 89,855  328,622 132,469

Malheur 1,200  240  13,800  2,760

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie 13,490 12,400

Mount Hood 13,460 12,100  16,820 11,260

Ochoco

Olympic 10,882  4,420 44,400 12,320

Siskiyou-Rogue River  4,558  4,214  6,058  3,902

Siuslaw 15,128 96,470 16,506 99,963

Umatilla  500  100  500  100

Umpqua 104,451  27,150 84,151 24,341

Wallowa-Whitman  2,500   500  2,200   440

Okanogan-Wenatchee 1,020  220  1,192   820

Willamette  50,624 22,764  47,876 28,060

 Region 6 totals  769,899 548,220  770,165  522,043

a Data derived from sold and removed worksheets, nonconvertible summaries for national forests in Region 6. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/

nr/fp/FPWebPage/FP70104A/FP70104A.htm (20 December 2006).

b No data available for blank cells.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

80

Markets—Most wild mushrooms that are exported to the European Community 

from the Pacific Northwest United States are shipped from Seattle (Alexander and 

others 2002b). In their study of morels of the Blue Mountains region of Oregon, 

Parks and Schmitt (1997) found that 40 percent of the harvested morels were exported to Europe and Asia, and 42 percent were sold in the Western United States. 

Tedder and others (2000) reported that from 1994 to 1998, British Columbia and 

the Pacific Northwest United States shipped an average of approximately 865 tons 

per year of mushrooms to Europe and 1,148 tons per year to Japan. These figures include all mushroom species, both wild and cultivated, but wild mushrooms 

likely constitute the vast majority of mushroom exported from northwestern North 

America. Tedder and others (2000) also noted that some mushroom exports could 

be classified under other miscellaneous food categories in the U.S. and Canadian 

export data, so the total likely underrepresents total volumes shipped. They found 

that the total declared value of these shipments approached $23.8 million (U.S. 

dollars) per year. Shipments to Japan represent 76 percent of that value, most of 

which consists of sales of the American matsutake. A consultant interviewed by 

Wurtz and others (2005) estimated that Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, the 

Yukon, and Alaska combined supply less than 10 percent of the world’s supply of 

wild mushrooms.

Because northwestern North America supplies so little of the global market, 

crops elsewhere largely determine prices, and the trade is very competitive. As 

noted in the international commerce section, large crops of morels are harvested in 

countries such as China, India, Pakistan, and Turkey. Wage expectations are lower 

in these countries than in North America, and shipping to European markets is 

less costly because they are closer (Rommelmann 2005). Profit margins for North 

American sellers are narrow in both fresh and dried markets, and they must keep 

costs low to stay in business.

Businesses—With some exceptions, most nontimber forest product businesses 

are referred to as “very small enterprises,” employing fewer than 10 people. Many 

harvesters, and some small businesses, operate in the “informal economy”; that is, 

they work and earn money without being tracked through tax payments or business registrations. Although business dealings are correspondingly casual and 

easy to arrange, workers tend to receive low wages and few benefits. Workers also 

can experience worse working conditions than they would in the formal economy. 

Many work in the informal economy because they have few other viable choices 

(Alexander and others 2002b). As noted earlier, however, harvesters do get paid 

immediately in cash. Mushroom buyers often handle tens of thousands of dollars in 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

81

cash each day in high-value, high-volume mushroom harvest areas. Mushroom buying might represent the largest remaining legal cash-based commerce in our society.

For global markets, wild mushrooms must be processed, a complicated process 

that involves identification, culling, cleaning, sorting, grading, packaging, preserving, storing, shipping, and marketing (Schlosser and Blatner 1997). In 1992, 

Schlosser and Blatner (1995) reported 520 people employed by mushroom processing firms in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to handle the crop collected by 10,400 

harvesters.

Local Impacts

Several rural locations around the Pacific Northwest are known as “hot spots” for 

harvesting ectomycorrhizal mushrooms such as American matsutake and chanterelles. Transient harvesters visit these communities annually. Communities such 

as Crescent Junction and Sisters, Oregon, Shelton and Randle, Washington, Bella 

Coola and Terrace, British Columbia, have become familiar with this annual influx 

and have arranged accommodations that are largely of mutual benefit to the community and the harvesters. Transient harvesters of morel mushrooms, by contrast, 

often visit forests that burned the previous summer; thus the harvest area can only 

be selected after the previous fire season. The closest local communities and land 

management agencies are sometimes unfamiliar with the challenges, issues, and 

impacts that arise from the influx of such visitors.

Social impacts—Much of the regulation associated with the wild mushroom industry seeks to minimize the social tensions that inevitably arise when a large number 

of people suddenly move into an area. Some of the social tensions occur within the 

community of morel harvesters, including conflicts over patches, tensions between 

members of different ethnic groups, domestic disputes, disagreements between harvesters and buyers over prices, conflicts among buyers over location of buying stations, and clashes among buyers over how prices are set and modified. Other social 

tensions exist between local residents and outside harvesters, such as conflicts over 

harvest areas or perceptions of transient morel harvesters as invaders that might be 

armed and dangerous (McLain 2000). Tensions can also arise between harvesters and 

the land management agencies regarding regulations. For example, local residents 

are sometimes disgruntled that the agencies are allowing commercial harvest activities or that large numbers of outsiders are allowed to camp in areas that local people customarily use. United States land management agencies have sought to reduce 

such impacts by creating designated camps for commercial harvesters, setting aside 

areas for local residents to collect morels for personal use, providing informational 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

82

materials in a variety of languages and, in at least one case, hiring an interpreter 

to facilitate communication between agency employees and harvesters who do not 

speak English (Pilz and others 1999).

Positive social and economic impacts can result from morel harvesters and buyers coming to a community. Harvesters often stay in rental cabins or private campgrounds, purchase food and gas locally, and eat in local restaurants. These activities 

bring money into communities, many of which would otherwise have few visitors, 

especially in the spring (Arora 2000, Gadbow 2001a). In addition, some buyers put 

on workshops for community members on how to harvest morels commercially so 

that local residents can earn extra money in years when morels are abundant.

Environmental impacts—We discuss elsewhere how the harvest of morel mushrooms influences the persistence and reproduction of Morchella as an organism or 

its productivity as a resource. The impacts of large numbers of harvesters on other 

resources are a more immediate concern for many managers. For example, in the 

Blue Mountains, road damage is a problem if harvesters drive on roads that are still 

wet and soft from snowmelt (Parks and Schmitt 1997). Biologists there have also 

expressed concerns about how large numbers of morel harvesters walking through 

the forest would affect elk calving during the spring. If allowed to camp where they 

choose, harvesters tend to camp next to streams, compacting the soil, trampling 

riparian vegetation, cutting poles for structures, and gathering up dead wood for 

campfires. Harvesters sometimes leave behind large amounts of garbage and broken 

collecting containers, often in areas where cleanup is difficult and costly (Kenney 

1996, Penticton Herald 2004, Wurtz and others 2005).

Prior to the 2001 morel season in Montana, federal land managers raised 

concerns about potential disturbance of endangered species such as grizzlies and 

gray wolves, possible harvesting of morels and riding of all-terrain vehicles in offlimit wilderness areas, insuring proper sanitation at campsites, arranging adequate 

waste disposal, limiting the spread of noxious weed seeds on the tires of off-road 

vehicles, and whether large numbers of people walking through the burns would affect regeneration of lichens, moss, and other plants. The USFS managers discussed 

these concerns both within the agency and with other interested parties, including 

locally based mushroom buyers. Drawing on their own experiences with large 

morel crops in previous years, as well as upon the experiences of forest managers in 

USFS Region 6, federal land managers in Montana developed a system of permits, 

camping policies, and outreach efforts that proved quite successful at addressing 

these concerns (USDA FS 2000).
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

83

Policy and Regulation

Land ownership and harvest access—Land ownership is an important determinant of management policies and practices; therefore it also affects morel harvesting opportunities and regulations. In western North America, land ownership can 

be divided into three main categories, public, private, and tribal. Native Alaskans, 

First Peoples of Canada, Native Americans of the United States, and the indigenous tribes of Mexico all own or control some communal land or reservations. In 

many cases, commercial quantities of morels fruit on their forest lands. Because 

such lands typically are managed for the benefit of the tribe as a whole, managers 

are in a unique position to restrict access to morel harvesting, control the quantities 

harvested, and insure that all participants and tribal members share equitably in the 

benefits of such commercial ventures. 

By contrast, large swaths of land in western North America are publicly owned 

(USDI BLM 1996, USDA FS 2004a). Although some areas are off-limits to commercial activity (Antypas and others 2002), the majority of these national, state, 

provincial, county, or other public lands are managed by professional foresters for 

the goal of providing multiple benefits to the public. Typically mushroom harvesting is considered a valid use or a public right on such lands. However, because 

managers of such lands generally lack the means to enforce harvested quantities 

or exclusive access rights, the morel harvest is usually regulated with permits 

and designated harvest areas. The quantities of morels harvested and the number 

of harvesters collecting in a given area are, with a few exceptions, not limited. 

Where public land management agencies such as the BLM do specify the quantities of mushrooms to be harvested or stipulate exclusive access, slim budgets often 

constrain enforcement. Land owned by large timber corporations are increasingly 

off-limits to morel harvesters (McLain 2000, Parks and Schmitt 1997). Other than 

public relations, these companies see little benefit in providing access, and dealing 

with large numbers of harvesters can be costly and potentially litigious. See the 

regional summaries that follow for more specific information on how land ownership affects morel harvesting in different regions of western North America.

Development of regulations—Although people have harvested wild mushrooms 

commercially in western North America since at least the 1930s (Redhead 1997), 

formal regulation of morel harvesting did not emerge in the Western United States 

until the 1980s. A convergence of market, socioeconomic, cultural, and political changes rendered visible the wild mushroom industry, sparking calls for the 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

84

development of wild mushroom policies at state, provincial, and federal levels 

(Arora 1999, Love and others 1998, McLain and others 1998, Redhead 1997). 

Key factors that contributed to increased regulation of the harvesting of wild mushrooms included expanding market demand, a supply of relatively cheap labor, ecological conditions that favored the production of morels, a shift in North American 

public land management practices toward ecosystem management (McLain and 

others 1998), and international emphasis on ascertaining sustainable forestry 

practices.

In the early 1990s in the United States, pressure from environmental groups 

and federal court rulings led the USFS and BLM to shift the focus of their forest 

management from heavy emphasis on timber production toward greater ecosystem 

restoration and protection. By drawing the attention of land management agencies to the importance of biodiversity and the need to provide adequate protection 

for a variety of species, including wild fungi, the shift to ecosystem management 

increased the incentives to regulate the harvest of wild mushrooms. Internationally there has also been a process (Montréal Process Working Group 1999) for 

ascertaining whether forests are being managed in a sustainable manner. Indicators 

of sustainability include monitoring the productivity, value, and use of nontimber 

and nonwood forest products, and these indicators have been used to evaluate how 

sustainably United States forests are being managed (USDA FS 2004b). 

In the Western United States and Canada, arguments in favor of wild mushroom regulation have centered around three primary concerns: 

• Difficulties forest managers have experienced or anticipate in controlling 

large temporary influxes of harvesters.

• Potential negative environmental or resource impacts from large-scale harvesting and associated activities.

• Acquiring some revenue from the commercial sale of products harvested 

on public lands to help finance management of these resources and needed 

research regarding sustainable harvesting.

During the last two decades, a variety of policies, regulations, and laws 

have been implemented to address these issues. Both managers and harvesters 

have learned much about fair and effective regulation of mushroom harvesting, 

although controversies have not entirely disappeared and harvesters have often 

been excluded from participation in development of the regulations. Acker (1986), 

Love and others (1998), Love and Jones (2001), McLain and others (1998), McLain 

(2000), Molina and others (1993), Parks and Schmitt (1997), Pilz and Molina (2002), 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

85

Redhead (1997), Tedder and others (2002), and Wurtz and others (2005) discussed 

these issues and how mushroom harvesting regulations were developed for various 

sectors of the industry in different locations.

Current regulations—To comply with regulations, morel harvesters must check 

with local landowners or local districts of land management agencies because 

permits, regulations, and fees differ widely and are subject to change. Even where 

permits are not required for actually harvesting mushrooms, such as in British 

Columbia, land managers often prescribe other regulations and rules that apply to 

the activities of harvesters. Many areas are off-limits to commercial morel harvesting, such as parks, wilderness areas, adjacent private property, or areas with 

sensitive resources, for instance archaeological sites, wildlife, or rare species. 

Locally available maps are usually needed to avoid these areas. In some cases, 

adjacent national forests have combined their mushroom permit systems to make it 

easier for harvesters to obtain widely applicable permits and to facilitate enforcement. Permits are usually required to establish buying stations on public land. 

Commercial harvesters are sometimes required to camp in specific locations to 

prevent nearby campgrounds from being filled by harvesters to the exclusion of 

recreational users.

Public forest management agencies in the Western United States typically 

define mushroom harvesting as either for personal or commercial use. For instance, 

if individuals collect just a few mushrooms for use while camping in a national 

forest, the USFS defines this as “incidental use” and no permits are required. If 

individuals take larger quantities of mushrooms home for personal use, a free use 

permit is often required so the USFS can keep track of such activities. Several 

USFS Regions, including Regions 6 and 10 (Alaska Region) use a special forest 

products appraisal system to help forest managers calculate fair market prices for 

commercial permits. The permit prices arrived at through this appraisal system take 

into account harvesting and processing costs and set fees at roughly 10 percent of 

the estimated value of the product that an individual can harvest during the season. 

Harvest quantities, prices, and costs are estimated by interviewing harvesters and 

surveying buying stations. To encourage compliance, this fee is sometimes modified so permits are more affordable.

To illustrate the range of prices, we provide a few examples. On the Deschutes 

National Forest in central Oregon, a commercial permit to harvest morels for sale 

during the spring 2006 harvest season cost $2 per day with a minimum charge of 

$20. Harvesters could purchase an annual permit for $100. In Montana and Idaho in 

2001, the national forests offered commercial harvesters a choice between 7-day, 14-

day, 30-day, and seasonal permits, at a cost of $20, $40, $60, and $100, respectively 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

86

(DeWolf 2001). The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in eastern Oregon offers 

two types of commercial morel permits: $2 per day with a minimum charge of $20, 

and annual permits that cost $50 (USDA FS 2004c). On the Wenatchee and Okanogan National Forests, spring-season commercial mushroom permits cost $5 per 

day, with a minimum charge of $20. A seasonal permit, valid only from April 15 to 

July 31, costs $100. In 2001, the Montana State Department of Natural Resources 

and Conservation offered commercial harvesters wishing to harvest on state lands 

a choice of 7-day, 14-day, 21-day, 30-day, and season permits, at a cost of $30, $60, 

$100, $120, and $150, respectively (Gadbow 2001b). Bureau of Land Management 

districts calculate the cost of a permit by using the minimum fees established by 

their state office. In Montana, the minimum price for wild mushrooms was 25 

cents a pound in 2003, with a minimum fee of $20 (USDI BLM 2003). The BLM in 

Fairbanks, Alaska, considered charging 20 cents per pound for permits that would 

grant the holder exclusive rights to an area (Wurtz and others 2005).

The price for permits to operate buying stations on federal land ranges from 

$100 on the Deschutes National Forest to $500 on the Wallowa-Whitman National 

Forest (USDA FS 2004c). Some national forests, such as the Deschutes, only allow 

buyers to set up stations in designated locations (McLain 2000). Buyers often prefer 

sites on private land that are more convenient, less expensive, or less subject to 

surveillance by the USFS.

The States of Montana, Oregon, and Washington have special forest products 

statutes (MCA 2005, ORS 1995, RCW 1967). These laws require anyone transporting special forest products, including wild mushrooms, to show evidence that they 

have permission from a landowner to harvest those products. The laws also mandate buyers to keep a record of all special products purchases, including the names, 

addresses, and permit numbers of harvesters (McLain and others 1998). With the 

expiration of the 1989 Wild Mushroom Act, Washington no longer requires wild 

mushroom dealers and buyers to obtain special licenses beyond those required of 

any business. Alaska, Idaho, and California do not have recordkeeping requirements for wild mushroom buyers.

Challenges—Some harvesters refuse to get permits on principle. Others cannot afford one, especially if mushroom fruiting is poor. In Oregon and Washington, buyers resist state laws requiring them to keep a record of the harvesters from whom 

they purchase mushrooms. However, harvesters and buyers are not unilaterally 

against wild mushroom regulations. Regulation has helped address concerns about 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

87

their own safety, including concerns about excessive use of guns in the woods and 

the increased risk of wildfire that often accompanies the entry of a larger number of people into the forest. Also, enforcement personnel can help people if they 

experience injuries, their vehicle breaks down, or they get lost. Reasonable prices, 

regulations that are sensible, and convenient times, places, and means for obtaining 

permits all enhance harvester acceptance (Parks and Schmitt 1997, McLain 2000).

Current mushroom permit systems on federal lands in the Northwestern United 

States allow land management agencies to monitor and track who is harvesting 

mushrooms, and the issued permits fulfill state law requirements in Oregon, 

Washington, and Montana that harvesters have written permission from landowners to collect mushrooms before they are transported. The permits do little to 

limit harvesting pressure on the mushrooms themselves, however, unless permitted 

harvest seasons are shorter than the fruiting season. No restrictions are generally 

placed on the amount a person can harvest, and in most cases the permits do not 

grant exclusive access to the permit holder. Anyone who pays for a permit is a 

potential competitor for all mushroom patches located in the areas where harvesting 

is allowed. As a result, if competition is intense, each harvester has an incentive 

to harvest all the mushrooms they find rather than leaving some for later collecting. Harvesting all the mushrooms in a patch reduces the probability that some 

will mature sufficiently to spread spores. The potential value of mushrooms from 

a given patch or area also is diminished because small mushrooms are not left to 

grow larger for subsequent collecting.

Other than the number of permits sold, these regulatory systems provide little 

monitoring information on the long-term productivity or reproductive viability 

of harvested mushroom populations. Permit sales are highly dependent on mushroom prices that, in turn, reflect global competition and commerce, so demand for 

permits provides at best an indirect and imprecise reflection of how the mushroom 

resource is responding to harvesting pressures.

In regions that do not currently regulate mushroom harvesting, land managers and policymakers can now choose from among many examples of regulatory 

mechanisms, permit systems, conservation guidelines, monitoring methods, and 

enforcement practices that have been tried elsewhere. The challenge is to adapt 

these practices in a manner that is appropriate to the scale and intensity of local 

harvesting activities, the goals of the landowners, unique aspects of the local forest 

ecosystem, and the needs of the harvesters, buyers, and local communities.

Reasonable prices, 

regulations that 

are sensible, and 

convenient times, 

places, and means 

for obtaining permits 

all enhance harvester 

acceptance.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

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Regional Summaries

Mountains of Mexico

Mexico is so biologically diverse that it is difficult to generalize about morel habitat; however, morels do fruit in high-elevation forests in most of the mountainous 

regions of Mexico including the Sierra Madre Occidental, Sierra Madre Oriental, 

and Sierra Madre del Sur. Morels are especially common in the transvolcanic belt 

that runs east to west across Mexico at 20 oN latitude (fig. 11).

The putative specific names reported for Mexican morels are Morchella angusticeps, M. conica, M. costata, M. elata (“black morel complex”), M. crassipes, 

and M. esculenta (“blond morel complex”) (Villarreal and Pérez-Moreno 1989). In 

Figure 11­—Mexican states with confirmed commercial morel harvesting and vegetation types with potential 

moral habitat. Map by Luis Villarreal-Ruis, based on Brower (n.d.), Villarreal and Pérez-Moreno (1989), Perry 

and others (1998), INEGI (n.d.), SEMARNAP and PROCYMAF (n.d.), SEMARNAP (2004).
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

89

their recent review and taxonomic article, Guzmán and Tapia (1998) stated, “little 

is known about the diversity and taxonomy of Morchella in Mexico.” Although 

Morchella taxonomy is in flux in Mexico as elsewhere, they concluded that at least 

seven distinct species have been confirmed. Morels found in North America and 

northern Mexico (such as the black [M. elata] and yellow [M. esculenta] clades) 

also seem to occur in central Mexico. Other Mexican species might or might not be 

restricted to hardwood forest of subtropical regions. For example, Mexican specimens of M. guatemalensis have only been described from montane cloud forests 

of Veracruz, Michoacán, Morelos, and Jalisco (Guzmán-Dávalos and RodríguezAlcantar 1993, Guzmán and Tapia 1998). By contrast, Guzmán and Tapia (1998) 

described the red-brown blushing morel M. rufobrunnea from specimens collected 

in a montane cloud forest of oak, sweet gum, white-alder (Clethra), and alder in a 

small area around Xalapa, Veracruz. Kuo (2005, 2006) claimed that morels found 

in landscaped environments of coastal California and originally identified as M. 

deliciosa, also are actually M. rufobrunnea. As is also often noted at morel buying 

stations farther north, commercial morel harvesters in Mexico often bring in morels 

(from a given locale) that exhibit striking morphological diversity (fig. 12). Whether 

Figure 12—Morphological diversity 

of commercially harvested morels in 

Luis Villarreal-Ruiz

Mexico.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

90

these differences in size, color, and shape reflect species distinctions remains to be 

determined.

Ecological studies suggest that Mexican morels occur more commonly with true 

fir than with pines. Along the transvolcanic belt, yellow morels (M. esculenta complex) 

exhibited low productivity (0.06 lb/ac) in oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) forests of Mexico 

State, but was absent from the pine forests in central Michoacán (Villarreal-Ruiz 1996). 

No morels were collected from a 5-year mushroom monitoring study in Veracruz in 

a mixed forest of Mexican weeping pine (Pinus patula), other pines, and Hickel’s fir 

(Abies hickelii) (Villarreal-Ruiz 1994), but they were found in adjacent oyamel fir 

forests. Morels can be found in humid oyamel fir forest between 9,200 and 11,000 

feet in elevation from August to October, and as late as December in exceptionally 

wet years. They fruit in nondisturbed soil and on disturbed sites such as side paths or 

burned areas.

Known areas of commercial morel harvesting include coniferous forests around 

Mexico City, and the states of Mexico, Hidalgo, Michoacán, Tlaxcala, and Veracruz 

(INEGI, n.d.; SEMARNAP 2004; SEMARNAP and PROCYMAF, n.d.). Potential 

morel hotspots might still be discovered in remote and unexplored areas of the 

northwestern states of Chihuahua and Durango. By contrast, few morels are found 

in the forests of southeastern Mexico and the Yucatan Peninsula (fig. 11).

In Mexico, although the government administers 5 percent of forest land as 

national forests, fully 80 percent is communally owned or belongs to indigenous 

communities (World Bank 1997). Only 15 percent of the forests are typically managed for timber or wood products. Until recently, little consideration was given to 

marketing nontimber forest products (World Bank 1995), but the combined harvest 

of nontimber forest products from 1995 to 2002 was estimated at 1,172,733 metric 

tons worth $224 million (Montréal Process Working Group 2003). As such markets grow, communities or indigenous groups that own common land have begun 

forming federally sanctioned community forest enterprises (CFEs) to manage their 

forests for sustainable nontimber forest product harvests and optimal economic 

benefits (Bray and others 2003). In a few cases (Martínez-Carrera and others 2002, 

Methodus Consultora S.C. 2005) indigenous CFEs monitor mushroom harvests 

and encourage cooperative marketing. The CFE “Pueblos Mancomunados” in 

Oaxaca exemplifies a project that encourages sustainable harvesting and commercial marketing of wild mushrooms to national and international markets, although 

morel productivity is reportedly low (UNEP-WCMC and Methodus Consultora S.C. 

2003). Educational mushroom fairs hosted by communities such as the town of San 

Antonio Cuajimoloyas, Oaxaca, acquaint harvesters with edible mushrooms and 

marketing opportunities (Mader 2005).

Morel harvesting in 

Mexico is a seasonal 

and traditional 

activity of indigenous 

and mestizo (mixed 

indigenous and 

European ancestry) 

communities. 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

91

Morel harvesting in Mexico is a seasonal and traditional activity of indigenous 

and mestizo (mixed indigenous and European ancestry) communities. Because the 

crops are small and scattered, harvesters often walk several miles to collect mushrooms. Some morel harvesters in central Mexico set fires to encourage subsequent 

morel fruiting. Traditionally, the harvester’s family consumes these morels. More 

recently, morels are sold fresh in small-town markets or shipped to larger markets 

in Mexico City.

Boa (2004) referred to the emergent wild edible mushroom industry in Mexico 

as “small-scale exports of selected species” and morels as one of the most important 

commercial wild mushrooms (Villarreal and Gomez 1997). In 1997, 33 short tons of 

morels were exported to USA and Europe (UNEP-WCMC and Methodus Consultora S.C. 2003). In 1996 and 1997, 3.5 and 1.3 short tons, respectively, of Morchella

species were exported to France (Zamora and others 2001; SEMARNAP and 

PROCYMAF, n.d.). The future of Mexican morel export to France looks promising. 

EurocenterNafinMexico, a bureau of economic cooperation co-financed by the European Commission and the Mexican Bank of Development (Nacional Financiera), 

announced (25 June 2005) on their “Successful Stories” Web page (http://www.

eurocentro.org.mx/EN/success.html) that new contracts had been arranged between 

Mexican and French companies to export $200,000 of fresh morels and $660,000 of 

dried morels collected from the forests around Mexico City.

Concerns on the part of the Mexican Government about commercial exploitation of mushrooms, animals, and plants led to the normative regulation (NOM059-ECOL-2001) that includes M. angusticeps, M. conica, M. costata, M. elata, 

M. esculenta, M. rufrobrunea, and M. umbrina as protected species (Diario Oficial 

2001). Federal law (NOM-110-RECNAT-1996) specifically regulates commercial 

morel harvesting to control methods of collecting, processing, transporting, and 

storing (Diario Oficial 1996). Private forest owners, organized as environmental 

management units (unidades de manejo ambiental or UMAs), are required to 

inform officials and request permission for any commercial harvest. They are also 

expected to conduct sustainable management studies, estimate expected crops, and 

institute measures to protect wildlife, manage fires, and control pests. However, 

the sustainable harvest of morels is rarely ensured because official regulations do 

not address the unique life history of each protected species, and studies of morel 

biology in Mexico are lacking. Molecular, taxonomic, and ecological investigations 

of wild morel populations and their responses to commercial harvesting and forest 

management are underway by L. Villarreal-Ruiz at the Fungal Resources Lab in 

the Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo Campus. These studies will improve the 

formulation of practical and effective regulations to promote sustainable harvesting.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

92

Overview of the Western United States

Figure 13 provides an overview of commercial morel habitat in the Western United 

States. Morel habitat predominantly corresponds to the forested areas although 

they do fruit in irrigated landscape areas of cities located in desert regions. Most 

commercial collections occur in the higher elevation forests that experience greater 

snow accumulation and where morels tend to fruit more abundantly, especially in 

response to wildfires. Although morels do fruit in the Klamath Mountain region 

of southwest Oregon and northwest California, they occur infrequently on the 

metamorphic or serpentine soils widely found there. The following sections discuss 

Figure 13—Morel habitat in the Western United States. Commercial morel harvesting occurs predominatly 

in the high-elevation forests. Map compiled by Bridgett Naylor, geographic information systems analyst, 

Forestry and Range Sciences Lab, USDA, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, La Grande, 

OR 97850. Data derived from the forest type and ecoregion layers of the National Atlas of the United States, 

http://nationalatlas.gov.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

93

differences among subregions of the western continental United States, British 

Columbia, and Alaska.

Interior West and Rocky Mountains

For our purposes, we define the Interior West and Rocky Mountains as west of 

the Great Plains, north of Mexico, east of the Sierra Nevada range, and south of 

Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. Morels fruit in forests throughout this area. Much 

of this landscape is dry relative to the west coast and regions further north, so 

appropriate forest habitats occur at higher elevations (Miller 2003). Forest habitat 

for morels is thus patchier and more widely scattered than in regions farther to the 

west and north. In some cases, such as in Nevada and Utah, morel habitat occurs as 

isolated islands near or on mountain peaks. In other areas, such as Colorado, more 

of the landscape is high elevation and morel habitat is more continuously distributed. Winter snow packs accumulate in most of these high-elevation forests, and 

convection thunderstorms or southwesterly fronts from the Gulf of Mexico cause 

sporadic heavy summer rainfall. Morels frequently occur in moist microhabitats 

and the morel season progresses upwards in elevation as summer weather warms 

(Miller 2003).

The U.S. federal government (typically the BLM, USFS, national parks, and 

national monuments) manages most of the forests in the region, so morels are found 

predominantly on federal lands, but some state, county, tribal, and private forest 

lands also include morel habitat.

As in other regions, black morels (both natural and burn morels) tend to fruit 

in coniferous forests, especially following tree death, wildfire, or soil disturbance. 

Yellow morels can be found in wetter or riparian forests with birch and cottonwood 

trees. Although some profitable timber harvesting occurs in the national forests of 

this region, forest health, fire protection, wildlife habitat, and watershed protection 

often are the more important goals. Thinning and prescribed burning are commonly used to achieve these goals. Although such operations are rarely designed to 

stimulate morel fruiting, they can inadvertently do so.

Regulations differ by landowner and circumstances, thus few generalizations 

apply to such a large geographic area. The USFS and BLM lands do have some 

uniform standards, such as requiring permits for any commercial activity. Specific 

regulations, however, differ greatly among local management districts and often 

from year to year depending upon anticipated harvesting pressure (for instance, 

in the wake of a large wildfire). Because commercial harvesting is relatively 

uncommon and small in scale throughout this region, most regulations are not 

complicated.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

94

Mushroom export or brokerage companies must consider several factors when 

deciding where to locate large-scale buying stands. Reliable abundant crops of 

mushrooms that fruit during a relatively short period of time and large areas of 

productive habitat within a reasonable driving distance are important factors. The 

sporadic summer rainfall after snowmelt might actually prolong the potential morel 

season. However, in a region with such steep topographic gradients, morel flushes 

are more likely to be confined to a small area than in regions where climatic and 

geographic conditions are more uniform over large areas. For these reasons, most 

morels harvested in this region are either for personal use or marketed fresh in local 

towns and cities. Some entrepreneurs likely dry morels for sale later, but large-scale 

exports of fresh or dried morels are uncommon.

Sierra Nevada Range of California

Morels are widespread in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and occur in many 

ecological communities. Black morels (natural and burn species) are the most commonly harvested morels in the Sierras, although yellow morels are found occasionally. Just after snowmelt in the spring, areas burned by fires during the previous 

2 years provide the most reliable source of morels in the Sierras. The timing of 

fruiting varies by elevation, snowpack, and temperature. Fruiting generally starts in 

early March at about 4,000 feet in the northern Sierras and about 5,000 feet in the 

southern Sierras, and increases in elevation as spring progresses. Burned riparian 

forests also can be productive collecting areas, especially in drainages along the 

eastern Sierras where willow, aspen, and cottonwood grow. Morels can be abundant 

in the western foothills of the Sierras in areas where snow is uncommon, but these 

crops are more influenced by unreliable rainfall than annual snowmelt; consequently, the season can be very short and unpredictable in any given year.

Morels that fruit in nonburned areas do so less profusely than those that fruit in 

burned areas but are preferred by connoisseurs because they are easier to clean and 

have a sweeter flavor if cooked fresh. The main groups who collect morel mushrooms from nonburned areas generally include people devoted to a particular reliable location, forest workers collecting opportunistically, and recreational harvesters. Habitats in nonburned areas include slightly mossy (Polytrichum species) open 

areas, coniferous forests, riparian areas, mixed-conifer forests with low amounts 

of large woody debris, mature mats of prostrate ceanothus (Ceanothus prostratus) 

along the eastern Sierran slopes, and areas with a dense layer of conifer needles but 

lacking other brush or debris.

Morel harvesting in the Sierras occurs primarily on USFS lands, but harvesters 

that lack awareness of land ownership boundaries often stray onto private property. 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

95

This can be common at the edges of national forest boundaries and in areas with 

checkerboard-ownership patterns. Such unintentional trespass makes management, 

law enforcement, and data collecting difficult.

Morel mushroom harvest and management activities on the national forests in 

the Sierras are less extensive than on national forests in northwestern California, 

Oregon, and Washington. This is not to say that commercial harvesting and rudimentary efforts at management of this resource have not occurred, but, to date, 

such efforts have been piecemeal and mushroom collecting is largely unregulated. 

In California, some state parks allow harvesting with a permit (California Code of 

Regulations 1996), although most parks in the Sierras pay little attention to such 

activities within the park and most harvesters are unaware of any required permits.

Large mycological societies and a few ethnic groups are the primary collectors 

of morel mushrooms in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Forest botanists working for 

the national forests of this region often get inquiries from people of European descent about morel, chanterelle, and bolete species available in their area. Southeast 

Asian groups also harvest numerous mushroom species in the Sierras, but social 

barriers hinder collecting information about their activities. The Mycological Society of San Francisco, the Los Angeles Mycological Society, and other smaller clubs 

have many members who are well aware of the potential productivity of morels 

after a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada (Bomm 1995). Letters that request collecting 

opportunities often flood the mailboxes of USFS botanists and forest supervisors on 

national forests with recent wildfires.

For instance, in August 1994, the Cottonwood Fire on the Tahoe National Forest consumed over 45,000 acres of eastern Sierran yellow pine and lowland riparian 

cottonwood forest ecosystems. By October 1994, the Tahoe National Forest was inundated with letters from members of the California mycological societies demanding that the forest issue harvest permits. Forest staff worried that if permits were 

not issued with resource protections, large amounts of damage would occur from 

unregulated harvesting activities. Tahoe National Forest botanists developed free 

use permits that stipulated resource protections and required individual harvesters 

to provide basic information about their identity, where and when they intended to 

harvest, and what quantities of mushrooms they planned to harvest. In spite of these 

precautions, officials eventually chose to completely close the area to the public owing to concerns about road damage in the wet spring, and other potential resource 

damage. Public safety in burned areas was another concern. Subsequently, USFS 

botanists working in the Cottonwood Fire area in spring 1995 noted large quantities 

of morel mushrooms fruiting in the fire area and evidence of illegal collecting in 

spite of the forest closure orders.

Letters that request 

collecting opportunities 

often flood the 

mailboxes of USFS 

botanists and forest 

supervisors on national 

forests with recent 

wildfires.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

96

The unpredictable nature of morel crops in the Sierras, the relatively short season, and the lack of a commercial harvest infrastructure for any mushroom species 

have prevented commercial harvests from becoming well established. Much like in 

Mexico, the interior West, and the central and southern Rockies, most commercial 

morel harvesting remains small scale and local.

Coast and Cascade Ranges in Oregon and Washington

Throughout the mountainous forests of coastal Oregon and Washington and the 

western slopes of the Cascade Range, morels are known to fruit the first year after 

logging or after wildfires. Although some commercial harvesting of morels occurs 

in these areas, crops are neither as large nor as predictable as on the semi-arid 

southern and eastern slopes of the Cascade Range. National forests with consistently significant levels of commercial morel harvesting include Mount Hood, 

Deschutes, Fremont, Malheur, Siskiyou, and Rogue River (McLain 2000). Large 

morel crops also occur periodically in the semi-arid forests of central and eastern 

Washington, such as the Gifford Pinchot, Okanogan-Wenatchee, and Colville 

National Forests (Johnston 2001).

The morel harvest along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range in Washington and Oregon begins in the south around Bly, Keno, and Gold Hill, Oregon, in 

March. From mid-April through mid-May, the action shifts to the towns of White 

Salmon near the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Tygh Valley near the Mount Hood 

National Forest, and Sisters near the Deschutes National Forest. Although Sisters 

is farther south, it is also at higher elevation than Tygh Valley and White Salmon. 

From late May and into June, morels begin fruiting on the Wenatchee and Okanogan National Forests in Washington. Some harvesters continue at Sisters, Oregon, 

collecting morels and boletes into June, while others head east to the Wallowa and 

Blue Mountains, or to Idaho and Montana if there were major wildfires in these 

regions the previous summer.

Commercial morel harvesting along the eastern front of the Oregon and 

Washington Cascades takes place on lands managed by the BLM, the USFS, and, 

in some areas such as near Sisters, Oregon, and Cle Elum, Washington, on large 

private holdings managed for timber production. Only tribal members or authorized 

individuals may harvest on the Warm Springs, Yakima, and Colville Indian Reservations. The fine for trespassing on the Warm Springs Reservation is sufficiently 

high ($5,000) to discourage most harvesters from poaching. Crater Lake, Mount 

Rainer, North Cascade, and Olympic National Parks allow no commercial activities.

The BLM and USFS lands in this region are subject to the standards and 

guidelines of the Northwest Forest Plan. It stipulates that activities, including morel 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

97

harvesting, should not have a negative impact on areas set aside as late-successional 

or riparian reserves. To address these concerns, some districts have closed such 

land management units to commercial harvesting, and many have begun to limit 

dispersed camping in riparian areas.

In addition to issuing permits for commercial mushroom harvesting and 

operation of buying stations on federal property (see “Permit Fees” in the “Policy 

and Regulation” section), most national forests in the area also require commercial 

harvesters to obtain industrial camping permits. In some cases, concessionaires 

operate designated campgrounds. The USFS law enforcement personnel patrol the 

roads and camps to monitor compliance with permit requirements, including fire 

safety and clean camp conditions. To date, managers remain largely unconcerned 

about whether morel harvesting is sustainable. As yet, there is little monitoring of 

morel crops or the effects that different forest activities, including harvesting, might 

have on them. National forest and BLM district permit systems are aimed primarily 

at keeping track of people.

The early part of the season takes place at a time when morels are scarce 

and prices are high. Buyers thus tend to market the early morels to domestic and 

international fresh market customers. Only a small percentage of the crop is sold locally–most is transported to Portland, Seattle, or Vancouver, British Columbia, and 

either sold in those cities or shipped elsewhere. By mid-May, enough morels have 

entered the market to bring the price down to the point where buyers and harvesters 

begin to dry their mushrooms. As the weather warms up, insects become a problem 

for marketing fresh morels, so by late May into June most of the crop is dried to kill 

larvae and flies.

Road densities in forests located in the eastern front of the Cascades are 

greater, and access to large domestic markets and export facilities is better than 

in the northern Rockies. For instance, in Montana and Idaho, vehicle access can 

be difficult and harvesters can spend a large portion of their day walking to and 

from their harvest spots (Brown and Marin-Hernandez 2000). By contrast, most 

of Oregon and Washington is within just a few hours of the two largest metropolitan areas, Seattle and Portland. Harvest sites between Bend, Oregon, and Twisp, 

Washington, thus constitute places where people who do not wish to travel far can 

reasonably compete with circuit harvesters. Sisters, Oregon, plays a particularly 

interesting role in the harvest of wild morels. Large crops of natural black morels 

are common in nearby forests in most years. The harvest years of 2003 and 2004, 

however, were exceptions because the large Eyerly and Cache Mountain Fires in 

2002 and the Booth and Bear Butte Fires (combined as the B&B Fire) of 2003 had 

burned the previous years. Large quantities of black burn morels were harvested 

To date, managers 

remain largely 

unconcerned 

about whether 

morel harvesting is 

sustainable.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

98

in the first year following each of the fires. Whether the reliable productivity of 

natural black morels returns in the extended aftermath of these wildfires remains to 

be seen. Sisters also attracts people who are interested in collecting spring boletes 

(Boletus pinophilus), as well as people who use the area as a fall-back zone when 

other morel harvest locations fruit late or do poorly. It also is a staging area for 

harvesters before they head east to harvest or buy on the burns in eastern Oregon, 

or in Idaho, and Montana.

Wallowa and Blue Mountains of Northeastern Oregon

The Wallowa and Blue Mountains are located in northeastern Oregon and extreme 

southeastern Washington and contain several mountain ranges with elevations 

sufficient to enhance precipitation and form islands of moisture and biodiversity. 

Commercial and recreational morel harvests from this region occur in the forests 

of these mountains. In 1992, the nearly 1 million pounds of morels were gathered 

in Oregon, mostly from mixed-conifer stands on national forests in the Blue Mountains (Parks and Schmitt 1997).

Much of the land in this region is federally managed as national forests with 

extensive wilderness areas. La Grande, in the Grande Ronde Valley, is the region’s 

largest town. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is the largest national forest 

(2,392,508 acres, 10 counties) in the area and has been issuing permits for commercial harvesting of mushrooms since 1991 (see “Permit Fees” in the “Policy and 

Regulation” section). Because morel crops are somewhat dependent on fire activity, 

there is not a consistent level of harvest activity from year to year (table 4). In 1998, 

the three Blue Mountain forests (Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman) began 

issuing a “tri-forest” mushroom permit. Individuals can purchase a permit from 

any district office on these forests and it is valid for use in the entire tri-forest area. 

This has proven to be quite successful, not only from the public’s standpoint, but 

also from a law enforcement perspective. Currently, the forests plan to continue this 

method of permit issuance. There have been few forest fires within the tri-forest 

area in recent years; thus the number of issued permits has declined from the peak 

years of the 1990s.

Regulations for harvesting mushrooms from these national forests are listed 

in a mushroom guide that is given to individuals when they purchase a permit. 

Mushrooms may not be harvested in wilderness areas or from restricted botanical 

sites. The USFS law enforcement officers monitor permitted activities by checking 

individuals who are harvesting on national forest land to see if they have a valid 

permit and mushroom guide in their possession and if they are following forest 

regulations.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

99

Table 4—Number and value of mushrooma-harvesting 

permits sold by the tri-forest permit collaboration of 

the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National 

Forests

Year Permits sold Value

 Number Dollars

1991  14 882

1992 699  9,066

1993 1,502 17,218

1994 1,537 21,438

1995 2,325 41,840

1996 700 17,926

1997 569 18,316

1998 463  6,436

1999 112  2,020

2000 368  6,854

2001 500  6,524

2002 284  5,192

2003 227  8,130

2004  92  2,800

a Although other mushrooms are collected on these forests, morels are the 

most commonly collected and in the largest quantities.

The mushroom season generally starts in early to mid April, depending on 

temperature patterns, snow, and precipitation, and can last into early July. Most 

harvesting activities occur in May and June. Morels can be found later in the year, 

but not in the quantities or of the quality needed for commercial harvest. Morels are 

mostly sold fresh to buyers who set up stations in nearby towns and communities. 

The local buyers in turn resell the mushrooms to mushroom brokers. In La Grande, 

Oregon, there is one established year-round mushroom buyer and processor. Two 

of the local restaurateurs actively seek to obtain fresh morels and showcase morel 

cuisine on their menu during the peak harvest.

Northern Rocky Mountains of Washington, Idaho, and Montana

This area encompasses the Selkirk Range of northeastern Washington, and the 

northern Rockies of the Idaho Panhandle and western Montana. Commercial morel 

harvesting occurs throughout these northern ranges, especially in the Bitterroot and 

Kootenai National Forests of Montana. For example, in the summer of 2000, the 

huge (292,070 acres) Valley Complex Fire on the Bitterroot National Forest enticed 

large numbers of commercial morel harvesters to visit in spring 2001.

The two major types of commercially harvested morels in western Montana are 

the burn morels and gray morels. Both fruit in greatest abundance during the spring 
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

100

through summer following a forest fire. Other varieties include blonds and naturals, 

which grow in nonburned mixed-conifer stands with somewhat open canopies or 

in small clearcuts. All these morels fruit most abundantly in association with some 

type of disturbance (McLain and others 2005).

Because this region lies in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range to the west, 

the mesic coniferous forest habitat that morels inhabit is found at fairly high elevations ranging from 2,500 to 7,000 feet. These forests receive most of their precipitation as winter snow, so wildfires that burn large areas are most common during 

the relatively dry summer months. Morels seem to fruit most abundantly in areas 

where a fire burned at moderate intensity, thus killing trees but not burning up their 

needles. This situation results in a layer of ash and recently fallen reddish needles 

on the forest floor the following spring and is a clue for harvesters to search the area 

(McFarlane and others 2005).

Natural black morels and black burn morels fruit in mixed, mid-elevation 

coniferous forests consisting of Douglas-fir, western hemlock, lodgepole pine, and 

western larch, and in higher-elevation alpine forests, Engelmann spruce, subalpine 

fir, subalpine larch, and whitebark pine. Gray morels also fruit in the higher elevation forests (McFarlane and others 2005, McLain and others 2005).

Morels are harvested on both private timberlands and national forests throughout the region, but most morel habitat that is accessible to commercial harvesters is 

on national forests. Private timberland owners typically concentrate on salvage logging after fires and have safety and liability concerns regarding mushroom harvesters during these operations. National forests also conduct some salvage logging and 

have the same concerns, but their multiple-use mandate limits the areas logged and 

stipulates that other forest users, such as morel harvesters, also be accommodated.

Because commercial morel crops occur so frequently in areas burned by 

wildfire in this region, forest management concerns revolve around issues such as 

compatibility with salvage logging, introduction of noxious weeds, off-road vehicle 

use on fragile burned soils, hazards such as falling snags or burned-out root wells, 

and heavy back-road traffic. Concerns related specifically to morel harvesting include conflicts between visiting and local harvesters, potential overharvesting, and 

possible harm to endangered species from foot traffic, all terrain vehicles (ATVs), 

and camping. The USFS is also concerned about providing adequate sanitation at 

campsites, controlling litter, and commercial harvesters using campsites intended 

for recreational forest visitors.27

27 Floch, Rick. 2001, 2005. Personal communication. Assistant Forest Fire Management 

Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Bitterroot National Forest, Forest 

Supervisor’s Office, 1801 N First, Hamilton, MT 57840-3114.

Private timberland 

owners typically 

concentrate on salvage 

logging after fires 

and have safety and 

liability concerns 

regarding mushroom 

harvesters during 

these operations.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

101

As the main landowner in this region, the USFS predominantly controls 

issuance of permits and regulation of the commercial harvest on national forests, although local private landowners also set up campsites on their property and charge 

harvesters.28 Each individual forest manager is responsible for outlining any special 

considerations. The Kootenai National Forest, for example, has special grizzly 

bear restrictions, whereas the Lolo National Forest restricts harvesting in gray wolf 

habitat. All forests prohibit commercial harvesting in wilderness areas. In general, 

enforcement of mushroom permits and regulations is a relatively low priority for 

the national forests in Idaho and Montana. In particularly active seasons, such as 

the one following the fires of 2000, however, the USFS has experienced problems 

with compliance (see footnote 27). Specialists, such as botanists, typically analyze 

a harvest season to identify needed modifications to monitoring, regulations, or 

enforcement. 

The morel season in this region typically begins with a focus on marketing of 

fresh morels. As quantities increase, buyers shift to drying morels and then later 

in the season when volumes again decrease, buyers will shift back to selling fresh 

morels. Prices fluctuate throughout a season depending on the type of morel and 

harvest quantities. Gray morels, for example, are heftier than other types of morels 

and retain moisture and freshness better in transport; therefore, buyers prefer to sell 

them fresh. Gray morels also are often harvested in June when morel production is 

dropping off elsewhere around the world in temperate forests; hence fresh morels 

are more valuable on the world market when the gray morels fruit in this region. 

When possible, fresh morels are shipped to ports such as Seattle, where they can 

then be distributed internationally. Dried morels can be easily shipped anywhere 

throughout the off-season.

Western Canada

Generally, morel production in western Canada begins in late April or May at lower 

elevations and southern latitudes and proceeds to higher elevations and more northern latitudes. For example, burned areas on the high-elevation Chilcotin Plateau of 

central British Columbia produced morels in June through July. Near Cranbrook, 

morels were commercially harvested in 2004 from the beginning of May until early 

August. In the Northwest Territories, Obst and Brown (2000) reported the season 

near Yellowknife is July 1–30.

28 Svalberg, Larry. 2001. Personal communication. Zone Planning Coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Lolo National Forest, Fort Missoula Bldg. 24, Missoula, 

MT 59804.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

102

Nonfire morels have been harvested commercially in British Columbia in 

recent years, for example, in the Williams Lake area.29 More recently, the focus of 

commercial morel harvesting in British Columbia has shifted to fire morels (both 

black and gray). Wills and Lipsey (1999) reported that fire morels were harvested 

near Pemberton in the southern Okanagan Range, and around the Smithers area.

Most forest fires in British Columbia occur in the relatively hot, dry ecosystems 

concentrated in the southeast part of the province, east of the Coast Mountains and 

south of Prince George (fig. 14). Therefore, most of the commercial morel production likely now occurs in this area. However, commercial morel harvesting certainly 

occurs on burns in virtually all other parts of the province as long as the fire is large 

enough to produce big crops worth harvesting and access is reasonable. For instance, 

in northeastern British Columbia, the Wapiti Fire (1987) and the 5,200-acre “M” 

Figure 14—Forest fires in British Columbia in 2003. Protection Branch of the Ministry of Forests and 

Range. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/protect/reports/FireLocations.htm.

29 Chapman, Bill. 2004. Personal communication. Research soils scientist, Southern Interior 

Region, BC Ministry of Forests, 200-640 Borland St., Williams Lake, BC V2G 4T1 Canada.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

103

Fire near Emerslund Lakes (1991) were big fires that brought in morel buyers from 

outside the area.30 Similarly, the 62,000-acre Telegraph Creek Fire31 in northwestern 

British Columbia (1998) and the 74,000-acre Chilko Fire32 in central British Columbia (2003) produced big commercial morel crops in forests killed by mountain pine 

beetle. The Cranbrook area also produced abundant morel crops in 2004 and 2005,33

although they were not commercially harvested.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the majority of morels harvested in western 

Canada came from the Yukon Territory. The Yukon Territory consistently produced 

morels in commercial quantities, most of which passed through Vancouver as part 

of the export trade (Wills and Lipsey 1999). British Columbia yielded considerably 

fewer morels during this period, a difference that Wills and Lipsey (1999) attributed 

to more aggressive fire suppression. The Yukon Territory has paved roads connecting most communities to each other and to the Alaskan Highway, so morels can be 

moved promptly to the markets in Vancouver (Wills and Lipsey 1999). Fires that 

produce commercial crops of morels occur mostly in the center and southwest areas 

near Whitehorse and Carmacks.34 Although the harvesters are mostly local, morel 

buyers come into the area when productivity is high, as they did for the 143,000-

acre Minto Fire (1995) and the 124,000-acre Fox Lake Fire (1998).

Although remote, the Yukon Territory is more accessible than the Northwest 

Territories. Obst and Brown (2000) noted that lack of access to harvesting sites and 

high cost of transporting morels from the forest to markets hinders development 

of the morel industry in the Northwest Territories. Nevertheless, some commercial 

morel harvesting does occur near population centers. Kenney (1996) reported 

that the availability of laborers often limits harvesting in remoter regions of the 

Yukon Territory. In Canada, as in some of the more remote areas of the Western 

United States, harvesters occasionally rent planes or helicopters to locate burns 

and identify areas of low-intensity fire (Brown and Marin-Hernandez 2000). If the 

harvesters can identify a highly productive site where no one else is harvesting, 

their investment may be recouped.

30 Kabzems, Richard. 2004. Personal communication. Research silviculturalist, Northern Interior Region, BC Ministry of Forests, 9000 - 17th St., Dawson Creek, BC. V1G 4A4 Canada.

31 Kranabetter, Marty. 2004. Personal communication. Research pedologist, Northern Interior 

Region, BC Ministry of Forests, BAG 6000, 3333 Tatlow Rd, Smithers, BC V0J 2N0 Canada.

32 Chapman, Bill. 2004. Personal communication. Research soils scientist, Southern Interior 

Region, BC Ministry of Forests, 200-640 Borland St., Williams Lake, BC V2G 4T1 Canada.

33 Keefer,Michaela

 and Winder,Richardb. 2004. aCoordinator, Kootenays Forest Innovations 

Society, 3816 Highland Rd., Cranbrook, BC V1C 6X7 and bmicrobial ecologist. Canadian Forest Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 West Burnside Rd., Victoria, BC V8Z 1M5 Canada.

34 Skaalid, Susan. 2004. Personal communication. Manager, Forest Operations, Yukon 

Government, Box 2703 (K-918), Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2C6 Canada.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

104

Little information has been published on the morel harvests in British Columbia or the Yukon Territory. Ecological and economic studies have only recently 

been conducted (Keefer 2005). Because most of the forest fires occur in the drier, 

warmer ecosystems in British Columbia, most of the burned stands were primarily 

coniferous, consisting of pine, subalpine fir, western larch, Douglas-fir, or spruce. 

In the Peace region, where fires that produce commercial morel crops are relatively 

uncommon, it is thought that morels are harvested from burned spruce and pine 

but not aspen stands (see footnote 30). In the Yukon Territory, most commercial 

morel crops are produced after mixed white spruce and pine stands burn. Pink burn 

morels are harvested early in the season and “grays” and “greenies” are harvested 

later.35

During a field trip with Dr. Nancy S. Weber in May 2004 to the Okanagan 

Mountain Fire in southeastern British Columbia, participants were able to collect 

a variety of black morels: putative species A (naturals), B (pink burn morels) and 

C (green burn morels) as described by Pilz and others (2004). Gray morels (putative species D) were also collected from the same burn sites a little later. The gray 

morels might be more common than the blacks at higher elevations and farther 

north,36 and they fruit later in the season on the same burned areas where the other 

burn morels previously fruited (see footnote 29).

Although Pilz and others (2004) reported that mountain blond morels are likely 

only found in nonburned areas, blond-colored morels were observed fruiting at 

high elevations in early September in the Tokumn Verrendrye Fire. In this case, 

they were fruiting in burned soils near large dead Engelmann spruce trees.37 Gray 

morels can lighten in color significantly with age, as illustrated in figure 2 in the 

“Species Description” section, so this observation might have entailed morphological misidentification.

In British Columbia, the province is 94.7 percent national Provincial Crown 

land. Land administered by the Ministry of Forests makes up 91.5 percent of these 

Crown lands and 86.7 percent of the province (Still and others 1994). Therefore, 

most morel harvesting probably occurs on Crown land, although trespass into burns 

on private lands and prohibited harvesting in parks probably occur. In the Northwest Territories, land ownership is split between the territorial government and the 

national government, with the territorial government having jurisdiction over public 

35 Olivotto, Gerard, 2004, Personal communication. Forest resource modeller, Olivotto Timber, 

203-733 Johnson St., Victoria, BC V8W 3C7 Canada.

36Winder, Richard. 2004. Personal communication. Microbial ecologist, Canadian Forest 

Service, Pacific Forestry Centre, 506 West Burnside Rd., Victoria, BC V8Z 1M5 Canada.

37 Keefer, Michael. 2004. Personal communication. Coordinator, Kootenays Forest Innovations 

Society, 3816 Highland Rd., Cranbrook, BC V1C 6X7 Canada.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

105

forest lands (Olynyk and Bergner 2002). In 2003, the Yukon territorial government 

assumed management authority over most of the Crown lands in its territory (Office 

of the Auditor General of Canada 2004). In the Yukon Territory, forest land makes 

up 59 percent of the total area. Of this, the government now manages 85 to 90 percent of public land referred to as “Commissioner’s Land,” 8 to 15 percent is managed by First Nations, and less than 1 percent by the Canadian government (Yukon 

Energy, Mines, and Resources 2004). The territorial governments in the Yukon and 

Northwest Territories settled land claims agreements with many of the First Nations within their boundaries beginning in 1984 (Olynyk and Bergner 2002). In the 

Yukon, 14 First Nations (indigenous peoples and their governments) will eventually 

control 9 percent of the territory; First Nation claims settlements to date encompass 

about 40 percent of the Northwest Territories land area (Olynyk and Bergner 2002). 

An overlay of un-extinguished aboriginal rights and titles also govern rights of access and use of much of British Columbia’s public lands (Tedder and others 2002). 

Under the land claims settlements, First Nations will assume much greater authority 

to regulate resource harvesting on lands within their claim boundaries (Olynyk and 

Bergner 2002, Tedder and others 2002). It is too soon to tell how this will affect 

access to morel harvest areas in western Canada.

Mushroom harvesting from Crown lands in British Columbia is unregulated, 

and there are currently no plans by government agencies to manage the resource. 

Similarly, in the Yukon Territory, mushroom harvesting is neither regulated nor 

managed, but nontimber forest product regulations are currently being drafted 

that might affect future management of the commercial morel harvesting. Without 

government-wide policies, the focus of concern for forest districts where morel harvesting occurs is not the productivity of the morels but the activities of the harvesters: littering, getting lost, causing forest fires, or driving on logging roads. In the 

Southern Interior Forest Region, awareness of the importance of morel harvesting 

in burned areas led in 2004 to the creation of a Web page that provides information 

about fire maps, mushroom harvesting and identification, road use, camping and 

recreation, and fire prevention (http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/PublicUse/PublicUse.

htm). During the long Canadian winter, morel harvesters and buyers also monitor 

the Web sites of the Protection Branch of the Ministry of Forests (http://www.for.

gov.bc.ca/protect/reports/FireLocations.htm) and of the Yukon Government (http://

www.community.gov.yk.ca/firemanagement/index.html) for the size and location 

of the previous summer’s wildfires. They use this information to focus their efforts 

the following spring. Combined with local information, this allows the commercial 

morel industry to visit potential sites and assess their productivity starting in early 

spring.

An overlay of unextinguished aboriginal 

rights and titles also 

govern rights of access 

and use of much of 

British Columbia’s 

public lands.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

106

Although morels are sold fresh locally to restaurants and stores in western 

Canada, most of the crop is shipped to Europe and elsewhere, including the United 

States. Some morels are shipped fresh, but depending on weather and transportation 

networks, many are dried before export. For instance, in the relatively accessible 

Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, a third of morels shipped in 

2004 were dried (Keefer 2005).

Interior Alaska

Interior Alaska encompasses over 108 million acres. In this boreal forest region, 

the primary natural disturbance is wildfire, and in the majority of the land area of 

interior Alaska, wildfires are not suppressed (Alaska Wildland Fire Coordination 

Group 1998). An average of 708,700 acres burned each year in interior Alaska 

between 1961 and 2000 (a total of nearly 28 million acres), but during that interval, 

55 percent of the total area (15.6 million acres) was burned in six particular years 

(Kasischke and others 2006).

The vast majority of land in Alaska is public land managed by the BLM and 

the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The major private landowners are a 

variety of Native Corporations, which together own about 10 percent of all the land 

in Alaska. Alaska has very few roads and typically most land affected by wildfires 

in any given year is not accessible by road.

Although stories of large postfire morel crops in interior Alaska are common, 

few data are available. Wurtz and others (2005) reported finding morels in a variety 

of forest types, including riparian areas, stands of white spruce, steep south-facing 

slopes with dense stands of black spruce, and level benches with mixed stands of 

black spruce and paper birch. Morel productivity varied from year to year and site 

to site, but was at least similar to that reported by Pilz and others (2004). Research 

is underway (Helfferich 2005) to determine and describe the species of Morchella

that occur in interior Alaska, but we know that between 2002 and 2005, peak fruiting periods lasted only 2 to 3 weeks (Wurtz and others 2005).

There has been comparatively little commercial morel harvesting in Alaska, 

although the number of Alaskans who pick occasionally is increasing. To date, there 

have been only two major influxes of commercial morel harvesters from outside the 

state: in 1991, to the area burned in the 1990 Tok River Fire, and in 2005, to a number of different fires that burned near Tok in 2004 (fig. 15). Between 150 and 300 

people participated in these harvests; most of these individuals traveled to Alaska 

from Canada and the Lower 48 States. It was estimated that buyers from outside 

Alaska purchased over 300,000 pounds of morels in 1991 (Malchow 1991), and 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

107

approximately 175,000 pounds were purchased in 2005 (Yamin 2005). Both times, 

managers reported problems with garbage being left in the field, trespassing, and 

with the misuse of ATVs on public lands (Malchow 1991, Yamin 2005). In 2005, the 

State of Alaska, the BLM, and two Native Corporations issued permits for the commercial harvest and experienced a range of compliance and success (Yamin 2005). 

The University of Alaska Cooperative Extension Service and the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service 

published a practical extension guide on harvesting morels in Alaska (Moore and 

others 2005). The pamphlet discusses morel identification, personal safety, permits, 

harvest areas, forest protection, litter, harvest methods, harvest equipment, and 

Figure 15—Interior Alaska, with the areas burned in major wildfires during summer 2004 in red. (Fire perimeters are as of September 2004 and are courtesy of the Alaska Fire Service. Image by Matt Macander, ABR Inc., 

Environmental Research & Services, Fairbanks. Reprinted from Wurtz and others [2005]).
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

108

morel handling, transporting, processing, drying, storing, home use, and marketing. It also provides addresses for land management agencies that regulate morel 

harvesting on their lands.

Constraints on the commercial harvest of morels in Alaska include the lack 

of road access to burned areas, the small size of local markets, lack of established 

markets for other nontimber forest products, and lack of experience within the 

Alaskan morel industry. At least one in-state supplier sells both Alaskan-harvested 

morels as well as morels harvested outside the state (Wurtz and others 2005), 

suggesting that demand for morels inside Alaska currently exceeds the quantity 

harvested. Niche markets may exist outside the state for mushroom products from 

Alaska, or products harvested by Alaska Natives (Pilz and others 2006a). No licenses or authorizations are currently required to either buy or sell wild mushrooms as a 

food product in Alaska.

The most common forest type in interior Alaska is black spruce forest. It is 

extremely flammable and accounts for most of the acres burned each year in the 

state. Most black spruce stands in Alaska are slow growing and unproductive, with 

no value as timber. Postwildfire morel crops might therefore represent the greatest 

economic return for a forest product from these forest types.

Management and Research

Sustainability

Many forest laws and regulations stipulate that natural resources should be managed for conservation, or in the case of commercial products, sustainable production. Defining “sustainability,” however, can be complex in a forest environment 

that is constantly changing. For instance, natural or nondisturbance morels might 

appear easy to monitor for sustainable production. One would simply measure 

production each year and chart the values to see if they change over time. Unfortunately, mushroom productivity fluctuates greatly from year to year (Vogt and others 

1992), therefore decades of monitoring is typically necessary to detect trends with a 

useful degree of statistical confidence. During such timeframes, however, the forest 

ages and changes, possibly enough to affect morel production more than harvesting. 

Hence it would be difficult to assign a reason for noted changes in productivity over 

time.

Morels that fruit abundantly in response to disturbances present an even more 

interesting challenge to defining “sustainable.” Such disturbances can be unplanned 

and episodic (such as wildfire or insect infestations) or planned and periodic (such 

as logging or prescribed burning). Such morel crops can also occur over the vast 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

109

areas typical of some wildfires such as those near Yellowknife in the Northwest 

Territories (Obst and Brown 2000) or in Yellowstone National Park (Kuo 2002). 

In any case, these disturbance morels do not produce annual commercial crops. 

Hypothetically, sustainable production could be defined as nondeclining yields of 

morels each time a delimited forest stand is disturbed. Morel production, however, 

is likely to vary widely depending on the condition of the stand at the time it is 

disturbed, the intensity of the disturbance, and the weather that year, so comparisons between crops widely separated in time also would be very hard to interpret 

with any confidence.

These considerations about how to define sustainable production are not unique 

to morels or even to harvested mushrooms in general. They are applicable to many 

harvested forest resources, including timber. Often the only way to reasonably 

monitor sustainable production is on the scale of landscapes and over periods of decades or centuries. To date, no land management agency has undertaken long-term 

monitoring of potential impacts that intensive commercial mushroom harvesting 

might have on mushroom populations across large areas (Pilz and Molina 1998). 

Nevertheless, forest managers must make decisions about how to harvest commercial products in a sustainable manner, and usually such decisions apply to small 

spatial scales and short timeframes. The most useful approach is to use current 

knowledge about the biology, reproductive potential, growth rates, and ecology of 

the organism being harvested to design forest management and product harvesting 

guidelines that reduce or mitigate the risks of potential overharvesting. Providing 

such information is a key purpose of this publication. In some cases, management 

can even proactively use this information to increase or enhance the availability of 

morel harvesting opportunities.

In the remainder of this section, we examine some of the considerations that 

factor into evaluations of whether morel harvesting is sustainable. These include 

estimates of typical morel productivity, forest management activities that affect 

morel crops, management of morel harvesting activities, and useful morel research.

Productivity

Although there has been no long-term monitoring of morel productivity, we do have 

published estimates of typical productivity. One of the first published estimates 

(Duchesne and Weber 1993) reported extremely high values. Using 10.76-squarefoot (1-square-meter) plots in a 0.52-acre (30- by 70-meter) portion of a burned 

Jack pine stand in eastern Ontario, they documented 2,550 pounds per acre of fresh 

morels. Assuming each morel weighed two-thirds of an ounce, this translates to 

approximately 60,000 morels per acre, 12 to 13 morels per square yard, or over 1 

Often the only way to 

reasonably monitor 

sustainable production 

is on the scale of 

landscapes and over 

periods of decades or 

centuries.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

110

Table 5—Unbiased stand-level estimates of mean morel productivity (counts 

and fresh weight per acre per year) and 90-percent confidence intervals for nine 

forest stands in northeastern Oregon that were selected to represent three stand 

conditionsa

 1995d 1996

 Stand

Site locationb conditionc Count Weight Count Weight

 Morels/acre Pounds/acre Morels/acre Pounds/acre

 45.08o N Healthy  229 (± 131) 1.2 (± 0.9) 87 (± 38) 1.4 (± 0.9)

118.49o W

 45.09o N Insect-  417 (± 132) 2.9 (± 1.2) 129 (± 68) 3.2 (± 2.1)

118.49o W damaged

 45.08o N Wildfire  1194 (± 243) 3.7 (± 1.6) 182 (± 125) 8.1 (± 6.4)

118.50o W in 1994

 45.04o N  Healthy  83 (± 60) 1.7 (± 2.3) 42 (± 45) 1.9 (± 2.0)

118.48o W

 45.04o N Insect-  283 (± 123) 2.7 (± 2.2) 32 (± 27) 0.5 (± 0.5)

118.48o W damaged

 45.04o N Wildfire  1761 (± 948) 3.4 (± 2.3) 117 (± 48) 2.0 (± 1.2)

118.47o W in 1994

 44.68o N Healthy  123 (± 84) 1.3 (± 0.8) 49 (± 35) 1.3 (± 1.4)

118.64o W

 44.68o N Insect-  156 (± 59) 0.8 (± 0.7) 115 (± 70) 3.1 (± 4.1)

118.64o W damaged

 44.07o N Wildfire  127 (± 82) 0.6 (± 0.4) 132 (± 81) 5.1 (± 4.9)

118.63o W in 1994

a Source: Pilz and others 2004.

b Latitude and longitude conversions from Township and Range legal descriptions were incorrectly transcribed in 

the original publication. They are correctly reported here.

c The wildfire occured in 1994, and the insect-damaged stands had been infested for the previous 5 years. 

d Only burn morels fruited in the wildfire stands in 1995. Burn morels did not fruit in the nonburned stands that 

year or in any of the stands in 1996. Natural black and mountain blond morels fruited in the nonburned stands 

and in the burned stands the second year after the wildfire.

every square foot. Such densities would be a morel harvester’s paradise but likely 

represent the high end of potential productivity. More typical morel productivity 

values are presented in tables 5 and 6. Although values differ by several orders 

of magnitude depending on the habitat, it appears common to find 1,000 or more 

morels per acre the first year after a forest fire.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

111

Table 6—Morel productivity values from the first year following wildfires in Minnesota, Oregon, Alaska, 

British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories

 Year Mean

GeneralLat. and Name Year morelsBurn Mean fresh

location long.  of fire of fire sampled intensitya count weight Reference

 Number/ac lbs/ac

Cook Co., MN  1976 1977 Light to 607 Apfelbaum and 

 moderate others 1984b

Cook Co., MN  1976 1977 Severe 81 Apfelbaum and

 others 1984

Wallowa-Whitman 45.08o N Tower 1994  1995 Moderate 1,194 3.70 Pilz and others

 National Forest 118.5o W 2004

Wallowa-Whitman 45.04o N Tower 1994  1995 Moderate 1,761 3.39 Pilz and others

 National Forest 118.47o W 2004

Malheur National 45.04o N Summit 1994  1995 Moderate 127 0.58 Pilz and others

 Forest 118.63o W 2004

Southwest of 64.65o N Survey 2001  2002 Moderate 398 5.86 Wurtz and 

 Fairbanks, AK 148.3o W line  to severe others 2005c

Northeast of 65.05o N West Fork 2002  2003 Moderate 4 0.02 Wurtz and

 Fairbanks, AK 146.2o W  to severe others 2005c

North of 65.38o N Tolovana 2002  2003 Moderate 91 2.34 Wurtz and

 Fairbanks, AK 148.91o W Hot  to severe others 2005c

 Springs 

Kootenay region of Lamb 2003  2004 Varied by 1,472- Keefer 2005

 southwestern BCd Creek,  micrositee 3,062 

 Plumbob, 

 Mission

 Creek,

 White

 River, 

 Middlefork,

 Tokumm

Yellow-knife 62.55o N Tibbit Lake 1998  1999 Moderate 140- 8.92 Obst and

 NWT 113.35o W Lake  to severe 940 Brown 2000f

a Burn intensity can be characterized in many ways. We define our broad categories as follows: Light burn = trees alive, duff layer not consumed. 

Moderate burn = many trees killed, but needles not consumed, duff layer mostly consumed. Severe burn = all trees killed and needles burned, duff layer 

entirely consumed.

b Sampling methods for these data are not described.

c Sampling methods were similar to those described in Pilz and others 2004.

d Data from several fires were combined.

e Keefer (2005) compared morel productivity with burn intensity within sites and concluded that the highest morel productivity was sampled in areas of 

moderate burn intensity. 

f Productivity sampling was not described as random. Some “hot spots” were sampled.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

112

Forest Management

Nondisturbed forests—Natural black, yellow, half-free, mountain blond, and 

red-brown blushing morels are all capable of fruiting in habitats that have not been 

disturbed. They can fruit annually if favorable conditions persist and the weather 

cooperates. Sustaining populations of these species entails maintaining forest 

habitat for them. No forest stand lives forever. Stand-replacement events happen in 

virtually all western North American forest ecosystems. Sometimes such events are 

natural (such as fire, blowdown, and volcanism) and sometimes planned by humans 

(such as logging). Sustaining populations of morels that fruit in nondisturbed habitat, therefore, likely entails managing forests for a mixture of stands in various age 

classes and in sufficiently close proximity for morels to spread their spores between 

stands. In this manner, morels in an older stand could reinoculate nearby newly 

established stands. A key research question is whether mycelial colonies or sclerotia 

of such morels persist in the soil through stand-replacement events. If so, the relative proximity of stands in different age classes might not matter much.

Tree death—Some morel species that fruit in nondisturbed areas can fruit as abundantly as fire morels when other disturbances occur, especially tree death. Massive 

crops of yellow morels at the bases of dying elms (Thompson 1994, Weber 1988) 

and extensive fruiting of natural black morels in insect-killed forest (Pilz and others 

2004) are two examples. Insect infestations left uncontrolled might create large morel crops, but if the trees die, it could be a long time before new forests sustain new 

morel crops. In forests where insect infestations are controlled, managers might 

forgo immediate large crops of morels while sustaining annual production of smaller morel crops. Given our current state of knowledge, how all these considerations 

balance out is merely a matter of interesting speculation. Because timber is usually 

worth more than morels (Alexander and others 2002a), decisions about controlling 

insects usually are driven by considerations other than morel crops. Still, if managers realize a large morel crop is likely, they can plan for managing its harvest.

In a related question, could the total production of morels be affected by how 

quickly a tree dies? For instance, does a tree that declines over several years before 

dying from insect damage stimulate more morels to fruit than one that is cut down 

for timber? In the latter case, the roots would die more quickly and likely fewer 

nutrients would be transferred to mycorrhizal root tips as they die. On the flip side, 

morels are likely competing with other fungi for these root tip food sources, and if 

the tree dies quickly, morels might have a competitive advantage decomposing the 

root tips. This question could make interesting material for a graduate student who 

wanted to kill some trees in a controlled fashion.

A key research 

question is whether 

mycelial colonies or 

sclerotia of morels 

persist in the soil 

through standreplacement events.
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113

Timber harvesting—Clearcut logging and thinning also can produce morel crops 

in the absence of fire, but to what extent they do so has not been documented in 

the literature. Nevertheless, any forest where morels grow and that is managed for 

timber production presents an opportunity to stimulate morel crops through logging. The seasonal timing of logging activities might influence the level of subsequent morel productivity, so if a manager wanted to co-produce timber and morels, 

testing this hypothesis would be a useful line of inquiry. The percentage of trees 

removed during a thinning operation, and the relative size, dominance, health, and 

crown class of the removed trees, could all conceivably influence the size of morel 

crops, both those associated with the thinning disturbance and those that follow annually in the thinned stand. For instance, if morels fruit in association with diseased 

or suppressed trees that are slowly dying, removing these from the stand during 

thinning might reduce subsequent morel fruiting. Conversely, if some morels function as full mycorrhizal partners with healthy trees, then stimulating the growth of 

residual trees in a stand by thinning might improve annual morel crops. In a study 

that examined the effect of young-stand thinning on chanterelle mushroom production, the productivity of this mycorrhizal fungus declined for several years following thinning, but rebounded within 6 years (Pilz and others 2006c). We have yet to 

determine if morels respond similarly.

Soil disturbance—Harvesters frequently note that morels tend to fruit where soil 

has been displaced, mixed, or compacted. We have observed morels fruiting along 

the edges of yarding roads in thinned forests and in the deep footprints left by previous harvesters on a burned site. Not yet known is whether the soil disturbance 

per se stimulates fruiting or whether a good spot is simply created for morels that 

would have fruited someplace anyway. Morels are often found fruiting in sheltered 

locations such as along the side of a log or in depressions, so soil disturbance might 

simply offer locations on the forest floor where developing morels are protected 

from desiccation by wind or sunlight. Even if soil disturbance does enhance morel 

fruiting, intentional disruption or compaction of soil has too many potential negative impacts on tree growth to consider its use for enhancing morel crops. Also, any 

such crops might only last a year, but soil compaction can last a long time. Here 

again though, when managers know that harvesting timber has produced some 

degree of soil disturbance in a given area, they can anticipate that morel harvesters 

will be looking there.

Fires—Fire management is an integral component of managing western forests. 

Fire suppression is now recognized as having increased the risk of large catastrophic 

wildfires compared to the more frequent and less intense fires that preceded fire 

Intentional disruption 

or compaction of soil 

has too many potential 

negative impacts on 

tree growth to consider 

its use for enhancing 

morel crops.
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control (Pyne 1996). Mushroom harvesters and buyers commonly target large 

catastrophic wildfires because they promise sufficiently large morel crops to justify 

travel, harvesting, buying, and shipping expenses. But do infrequent intense fires 

produce more morels over time than frequent less intense fires would? This question would be relatively easy to address because managers of forests in fire-prone 

regions are increasingly using prescribed fire to reduce fuel accumulation and 

wildfire risk. The intensity of a prescribed fire is often manipulated by burning 

when fuel moisture regimes are deemed appropriate. This is done to reduce the risk 

that a prescribed burn might get out of control. Typically, this means fires are set 

in spring or early summer before fuels have fully dried out, or later in summer or 

autumn after a period of adequate precipitation. By contrast, wildfires more often 

get out of control and burn large areas when conditions are hottest and driest. As 

noted in the biology section, morels tend to fruit most abundantly in the “red needle 

zone” (McFarlane and others 2005) of a fire that corresponds to moderate fire intensity (Keefer 2005). But “moderate” intensity, in this case, means hot enough to 

kill dominant trees, a goal managers are unlikely to pursue with prescribed fires. 

Managers have been experimenting with setting prescribed burns in different seasons because the timing and intensity of such fires also influence other resources 

such as soil fertility, water quality, fish and wildlife populations, tree seedling establishment, forage availability, and rare plant populations (Biswell 1989, Walstad 

and others 1990). It would be a relatively simple matter to systematically assess 

the comparative size of morel crops produced by prescribed burns lit in different 

seasons or when different fuel and soil moisture regimes existed. Methods for such 

assessments could range in complexity and cost from informal harvester interviews 

to systematic sampling of replicated prescribed burns.

Other issues—Fire suppression might not be the only way that humans are affecting morel habitat throughout western North America. Global warming might be 

shifting forest biomes further north and higher in elevation. These shifts could also 

be accompanied by changes in evaporation and precipitation patterns. Large-scale 

insect infestations such as the ongoing mountain pine beetle epidemic in British 

Columbia (http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine_beetle/) might partly 

be a result of winters that are no longer sufficiently cold to kill the beetle larvae. 

Although this pine die-off does seem to be producing morel crops (see footnote 33) 

(Keefer 2005), will such forests be replaced by different tree species and will those 

species also produce morel crops? If climate continues to warm, this type of question could apply to shifting tree species dominance in many western forest habitats.

Morels from western 

North America could 

command a premium 

price if they can be 

marketed as collected 

from pristine areas.
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115

Morel crops in western forests also are being affected by pollution. For instance 

morels from western North America could command a premium price if they can 

be marketed as collected from pristine areas. But if morels are collected from areas 

where the soil is contaminated with mine tailings or mercury deposition from 

coal-fired power generation plants, high concentrations of heavy metals might make 

such morels dangerous to consume. As data from Obst and others (2001) suggest, 

morels might concentrate dangerous levels of lead near roads even though lead has 

not been added to gasoline in the United States and Canada for two decades.

Lastly, exotic pathogens such as Dutch elm disease created temporary morel 

crops as it devastated American elms. New exotic pathogens that attack western 

forest trees could easily be introduced or become established. For instance, western 

states have been battling for the last 20 years to prevent the introduced gypsy moth 

from becoming established. The larvae of this moth are voracious feeders on tree 

foliage and can cause tree mortality in the same manner as the native western 

spruce budworm. Morels might fruit more abundantly as infected trees are damaged or die, but few would argue that such tree mortality benefits the forest, people, 

or the long-term viability of morel populations.

Enhancing morel harvest opportunities—We do not know if logging and prescribed burning enhance the long-term production of morels over time in a given 

forest stand, but regular application of these forest management activities across a 

landscape (say for instance, a particular national forest) can insure annual opportunities to harvest morels. Another possible method of enhancing morel reproduction or productivity is spreading spores. Because morel spores are released in such 

great abundance during commercial drying operations, it would be easy to collect 

vast numbers and disperse them artificially across the landscape. We are unaware 

of any trials that have produced evidence that this approach is either effective or 

ineffective. As with backyard kits, the morels likely grow in ideal habitat anyway. 

Demonstrating that intentionally spreading spores is effective at enhancing morel 

production in forested settings might be difficult, because such trials likely would 

involve multiyear studies of productivity. (See the following “Useful Research” section regarding the efficacy of this approach for maintaining morel populations and 

diversity). Most morels commercially collected in forests are not yet mature, so removing them before they spread their spores might significantly reduce spore distribution compared to nonharvested areas. If the spores collected in drying operations 

have subsequently matured (easily tested), then distributing them might remediate 

reduced spore dispersal. On the other hand, broad distribution of collected spores 

could also shift naturally-evolved patterns of genetic diversity and adaptation to 

local environments within morel populations. 
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38 DeWolf, Stacie. 2006. Personal communication. Special forest products coordinator, 

Regional Office, Region 1, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. P.O. Box 7669, 

Missoula, MT 59807.

Harvest Management

Federal land managers have accomplished a great deal in their efforts to regulate 

the commercial harvest of wild mushrooms. Successful programs have been shared 

among forest managers throughout western North America and adapted to local 

laws and conditions. Many publications address the issue of commercial mushroom 

harvesting. They include articles (Arora 1999, Penticton Herald 2004, Rommelmann 2005), reports (Acker 1986; Brown and Marin-Hernandez 2000; Diario 

Oficial 1996, 2001; Kenney 1996; Obst and Brown 2000; Wills and Lipsey 1999; 

Yamin 2005, Zamora and others 2001), peer-reviewed publications (Bray and others 

2003; Hansis 1998; Love and others 1998; Martínez-Carrera and others 2002; 

McFarlane and others 2005; McLain and others 1998, 2005; Molina and others 

1993, 2001; Parks and Schmitt 1997; Pilz and Molina 2002; Pilz and others 2003; 

Tedder and others 2000, 2002; Wurtz and others 2005), theses (Keefer 2005, 

McLain 2000), book chapters (Alexander and Fight 2003, Alexander and others 

2002b, Antypas and others 2002, Redhead 1997), and books (Palm and Chapela 

1997, Jones and others 2002). These references are only that portion of the relevant 

literature that we cite elsewhere in this report. Alexander and Fight (2003) also 

outlined the various ways that permits, contracts, and access to nontimber forest 

products in the United States are regulated and structured. No local regulatory 

program is perfect though, and some issues remain inadequately addressed.

Equitable access—Both recreational and commercial harvesters appreciate opportunities to harvest morels on public lands. In areas where intensive commercial 

harvesting occurs, recreational harvesters can face stiff competition. Designating 

areas for only commercial harvesting or only personal-use harvesting is one way 

to address this concern. For instance, Montana National Forests have designated 

commercial-harvesting areas in recent years, while allowing personal harvesting 

elsewhere. The policy concentrates commercial activities in particular areas to facilitate provision of services such as sanitation and camping and to minimize potential conflicts among harvester groups.38 Conversely, in keeping with their land use 

emphasis, the Sawtooth National Recreation Area on the Sawtooth National Forest 

in Idaho designated some wildfire areas for only personal-use morel harvesting during summer 2006 (http://fs.fed.us/r4/sawtooth/recreation/recreport.htm). National 

forests in Oregon and Washington have, to date, not required such designations 

because they could be difficult to enforce (see footnote 26).
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117

All federal lands in the United States have nondiscrimination policies that 

prohibit the agencies from favoring any ethnic or harvester group over another, but 

because commercial mushroom harvesters are so diverse (Arora 1999), proactive 

policies that enhance the ability of disadvantaged groups to participate can be very 

effective. A good example is providing harvest regulations and signs in multiple 

languages. Outreach programs that educate minority groups who are unfamiliar 

with U.S. laws and customs are also effective (Love and others 1998, Pilz and others 1999).

Sometimes local harvesters compete with transient or circuit harvesters, and 

conflicts ensue. As for recreational harvesters, portions of the landscape could be 

designated for harvest via contracts with local individuals or companies.

Land tenure and harvest pressure—How harvesters are allowed access to the 

land and the mushrooms growing there influences harvesting pressure on the 

resource. On lands that are communally owned, such as Native American lands, 

the governing bodies can control access, the number of harvesters, and quantities 

harvested. Private landowners, both individual and corporate, also have a good deal 

of control. By contrast, on public lands where the numbers of harvesters and the 

quantities they can collect are not typically limited, harvesters have a greater incentive to collect any mushrooms they find even if they are small. If they come back 

later when the mushrooms should have grown larger, other harvesters might already 

have taken them. Even on public lands, however, managers have tools to control the 

negative impacts that a “de facto open access” management regime can have on resource conditions (Bromley 1991). Managers can limit the number of harvesters or 

harvest permits, they can designate areas and seasons for harvesting, and they can 

provide commercial harvesting opportunities through exclusive contracts to particular areas. Whether any of these approaches are worthwhile depends on whether 

managers consider local mushroom harvesting pressure too great and whether they 

have the time, personnel, and budget to more carefully regulate harvesting. Conflict 

can be reduced and regulations are apt to be more widely accepted if managers involve all interested parties in making regulatory decisions (McLain and Jones 2001, 

Pilz and others 2006b).

Liability insurance—In some states, all harvesters must obtain a direct sales 

contract to harvest forest products on state lands. In Idaho, direct sales contracts 

include a provision that contractors obtain liability insurance worth $1 million. 

Not surprisingly, no mushroom harvesters have ever obtained a commercial permit 

to harvest mushrooms on lands managed by the state of Idaho. Many large private landowners also require large amounts of liability insurance from harvesters. 

Conflict can be reduced 

and regulations are 

apt to be more widely 

accepted if managers 

involve all interested 

parties in making 

regulatory decisions.
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Research on how small-scale operators in other forest products industries have managed to overcome this barrier could help facilitate the ability of harvesters to maintain or expand legal access to harvesting sites on state and privately owned land.

Certification systems—Either harvesters or products could be certified. Harvesters 

could receive certification that they have completed training in harvest methods, pertinent laws and regulations, and mushroom identification. Products such 

as morels could be certified as properly identified or harvested from particular 

lands. Certification could be instituted for public safety, used to improve compliance with regulations, or employed to enhance product value. For instance, as 

wild mushrooms become more common in farmers’ markets, stores, and restaurants, pressures to certify mushroom identification are likely to increase. In some 

cases, managers already require people who apply for harvesting permits to attend 

brief training about the regulations (Pilz and others 1999). In this case, the permit 

becomes a form of certification. Adding a half-day mushroom identification class 

would not be difficult. Many harvesters might appreciate the opportunity to learn 

more about mushroom identification or to share their own knowledge. Some other 

countries already have such programs. For instance, Von Hagen and others (1996), 

in their annotated bibliography of nontimber forest product literature, summarized 

two Finnish articles (Härkönen 1988, Härkönen and Järvinen 1993) that describe a 

national program of trained “county mushroom advisors” who then give classes in 

mushroom identification to commercial harvesters. In the Umbria region of Italy, a 

law stipulates that truffle harvesters must pass exams about species identification, 

collecting methods, and other applicable laws (Giunta Regionale dell’Umbria 1987).

Certification of origin could be used to demonstrate the mushrooms were not 

collected near sources of pollution. In the case of Native Americans, certification 

of origin, or of who harvested the product, could be an effective marketing tool to 

add value to the products sold. Tribes in Alaska already do something similar with 

artwork and crafts. Authentic Alaska Native arts and crafts items may display a 

“Silver Hand” symbol, with the words “Authentic Native Handicraft from Alaska.” 

The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, Alaska State Council 

on the Arts (http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/) administers the program (Pilz 

and others 2006a). Certification of nontimber forest products or harvesters is an 

evolving field with participants and practitioners balancing the work involved with 

anticipated benefits (Shanley and others 2002).

Useful Research

Many scientific papers conclude that more research is needed to understand the 

topic, but considered in the context of agency budgets, managerial priorities, and 

personal perspectives, “need” is always relative. In this section, we mention some 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

119

research that would be useful for enhancing our understanding of morels, improving management of their populations, and designing better harvest regulations. Our 

intent is to provide a list of topics for future research that would pertain to management of the commercial resource or management of the forests where they grow. 

Some research topics also were discussed in the previous “Forest Management” 

section.

Taxonomy—The jumbled taxonomy of North American Morchella species and 

their lack of valid species names is perhaps the biggest current impediment to morel research (Weber 1988). Without identification of the organism being studied, 

it is difficult to extrapolate research results to other morels or interpret ecological 

relationships (Weber 1997). While the taxonomy of Morchella in North America is 

being worked out, morel researchers should keep studied specimens in herbaria for 

future reference. Unfortunately, until recently, relatively few Morchella specimens 

have been added to either personal collections or public herbaria (Weber 1997). 

Apparently early collectors considered them too common to accession into herbaria; they preferred to document rarer species. 

Recent work has begun to remedy some of these limitations. For instance, the 

online Morel Data Collection Project (Kuo 2006) has compiled more than 500 morel collections from across North America. Each is identified by collector’s name, 

the date it was collected, and county and state where it was found. Some collections 

also have associated images and notes on habitat. Many have been genetically 

analyzed for sorting into putative taxons and then deposited in the public herbarium 

at the Field Museum in Chicago.

Weber and others (1997) described techniques for collecting, recording, describing, and preserving field samples of ascomycetes, including morels. Mueller 

and others (2004) provided a comprehensive guide to sampling, culturing, inventorying, monitoring, and preserving methods for various types of fungi. By linking 

morel collections to precisely georeferenced collecting sites, ecological information 

on habitat and substrate, and any DNA analyses that are conducted, researchers will 

be better able to interpret the role of such fungi in their native ecosystems. Crous 

and Cother (2003) argued succinctly for the value of linking DNA databases with 

freely available specimens deposited in public herbaria in order to facilitate species 

identification and cross-reference research findings. Ultimately, morel taxonomy in 

North America will only be resolved to most scientists’ satisfaction when the DNA 

of publicly available specimens is independently examined by several labs and the 

results are correlated to species descriptions published by trained taxonomists in 

peer-reviewed journals by using standards set in the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Greuter and others 2000).

The jumbled taxonomy 

of North American 

Morchella species 

and their lack of valid 

species names is 

perhaps the biggest 

current impediment to 

morel research.
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Ecology—As morel species become better delimited and named, the next logical 

step is to develop basic range maps for each, create thorough descriptions of their 

habitats, and describe the conditions that stimulate fruiting. Mushroom field guides 

could then be revised to provide accurate information to managers, harvesters, and 

researchers. More accurate ecological information will assist forest managers with 

decisions regarding their morel resource and managing its commercial harvest; 

help morel harvesters, buyers, and sellers better distinguish the market and culinary 

characteristics of each; give recreational harvesters a better idea where and when 

to search for their favorite species of morels; and allow researchers to more easily 

compare and interpret their results.

The management of morels also is hindered by limited understanding of how 

each species of Morchella obtains most of its nutrition and how the nutritional 

sources they use might change over time or with circumstances. We also know 

little about how, and under what conditions, the mycelial colonies of each species 

become established, grow, persist through time, senesce, and die out. For instance, 

do mycelial colonies in nature senesce quickly like those in pure culture, or does 

heterokaryogamy and repeated anastomosis with hyphae from germinating spores 

maintain colony vigor? If so, how long do such colonies survive? Do colonies die 

out after they produce massive crops of morels in response to a disturbance, or do 

they persist in the soil as a new forest becomes established? In wet or cold forests 

that typically only burn every century or two, have the fire morels that fruit following a fire been growing in the soil since the last fire without fruiting in the interim? 

Answering these questions would help us evaluate the importance of spore dispersal and determine whether harvesting immature morels before they spread viable 

spores could impair morel reproduction.

Reproduction and population genetics—The importance of spore dispersal can 

also be addressed through studies of population genetics that examine the relatedness of morels growing at various distances from each other. In the “Population 

Genetics” subsection of the “Morel Biology” section we discuss some of the recent 

work. Morel species might differ in their reproductive biology, so conducting this 

work with at least several species would help us understand potential differences. 

Examining potential dissimilarities between the yellow versus black clades and the 

fire versus nonfire morels would be especially interesting. Such studies would also 

be easier to interpret if researchers evaluate the heterokaryotic nature of morel mycelia and the possibility that morel fruiting bodies are a mixture of genetically 

different hyphae. Designing a population genetics study to ascertain whether artificial spore dispersal is an effective method of maintaining morel populations 

and their diversity also might be possible. If spores were collected from one morel 
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

121

population and spread over a genetically different morel population of the same 

species, it might be possible to use DNA analyses to determine if genetic information from the spore-producing population shows up in subsequent fruiting bodies of 

the recipient population. It might even be possible to correlate the density of spore 

dispersal in a given area with how much genetic information is incorporated by the 

recipient population. This approach is suggested only for experimental purposes. 

In practical application, spores should only be spread near where they are collected 

until more is known about the dynamics of morel populations, how natural patterns 

of Morchella adaptation and diversity might be altered, and the potential for ecological harm.

Morel commodity chains—Government policies play an important role in ensuring that businesses can obtain adequate supplies of morels and other wild edible 

fungi. Tax incentives, export and import restrictions, and the provision of easily 

accessible and up-to-date information on sources of supply, prices, and markets 

can influence the ability of businesses to compete in global markets. The capacity 

of state, federal, and provincial governments in western North America to support 

the wild mushroom industry, however, is hampered by a profound lack of published 

information about morel commodity chains; that is, How do morels move from initial harvest to final sales, and how does value and profit accrue along the way? The 

structure and function of such commodity chains are the result of economic policy, 

marketing arrangements, and the social interactions and power relationships among 

participants. Additional information about morel commodity chains, domestic and 

international, would improve the ability of economic development organizations 

and extension agencies to help a broad range of business enterprises participate 

more effectively in this global industry.

Closing Remarks

Our discussion of morels has been replete with evocative quotations, phrases, and 

words. Morel hunters use terms like “morel madness,” “fungal lust,” “the sickness,” “screams of delight,” and “angst relief,” whereas Lewis and Clark called 

them “truly an insippid taistless food.” Commercial harvesters talk of “farming 

morels,” “patch-lines,” “rural legends,” and “roadhunting.” Economists call commercial mushroom harvesting an “informal economy.” Preserved morels have been 

called “dried-up brains.” In the forest, they have been described as “infuriatingly 

elusive.” An “80 ton falling film ice slurry system” has been used to cultivate them. 

They have “toxic look-alikes” and accumulate “heavy metals.” They “usually fruit 

outdoors” in response to “episodic catastrophic disturbances” such as “wildfires” or 

“dead and dying trees.” They eat “necromass,” have been called the “necrophiles of 

The capacity of 

state, federal, and 

provincial governments 

in western North 

America to support 

the wild mushroom 

industry is hampered 

by a profound lack of 

published information 

about morel commodity 

chains.
General TEchnical REport PNW-GTR-710

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the alpine forest,” and fruit in the “red needle zone” of burned forests. Ecologically 

they have been called “phoenicoid fungi” that exhibit “psychrotolerance,” “environmental plasticity,” and “broad ecological amplitude.” Their “polymorphic” appearance has led to “problematic taxonomy.” Their cells are “heterokaryotic,” and they 

might be capable of rare “haploid meiosis.” What should we make of such unique 

and diverse organisms (other than dinner)?

Morels might appear to be the weeds of the mushroom world insofar as they 

fruit abundantly in episodically disturbed environments, but does the organism 

actually persist in the same forests through the long years of stability in between 

as do other edible mycorrhizal mushrooms? They might seem like good fungal 

competitors, but do they grow better under snow because other fungi are at a competitive advantage in warmer soils? Do they use energy from sclerotia to quickly 

colonize necromass in the upper layers of a burned soil because they could not 

otherwise compete with other soil micro-organisms? The potential diversity of their 

food sources and their modes of reproduction could be interpreted to imply that 

they are not at risk from harvesting, but like many mushrooms, most commercially 

harvested morels are collected before their spores have matured or been distributed. 

Therefore, we simply do not know what impact large-scale commercial collecting 

might have on morel reproduction, populations, or diversity. There might be negative impacts, or, for all we know, morel harvesters might be spreading more morel 

spores further on their boots than would be spread by the wind. From a scientific 

perspective, most of these questions can be addressed with current methods of field 

and laboratory research. In the meantime, from a managerial perspective, there 

remain options for sustaining the resource and providing ample harvesting opportunities. Happy hunting (fig. 16)
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

123

Figure 16­—Given the effective camouflage and mysterious qualities of morels, harvesters benefit from a sense of 

humor. Cartoon by Betty Chmielniak Grace (2005). Do not reproduce without permission.
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Glossary

See Kirk and others (2001) or Ulloa and Hanlin (2000) for a complete glossary of 

mycological terms.

allele—Any one of a number of DNA variations of the same gene occupying the 

same position on a chromosome.

anastomosis—Fusion between hyphae resulting in shared cytoplasm and 

sometimes nuclei.

ascomycetes—Fungi belonging to the phylum Ascomycota.

ascus, asci (plural)—Specialized cells where haploid spores (typically eight) are 

produced during meiosis by fungi in the phylum Ascomycota. In Morchella, asci 

are elongated sac-like structures where spores are lined up for ejection.

ascospores—Sexual spores produced inside asci by fungi in the Ascomycota.

asexual—Nonsexual; not involving the genetic recombinant and chromosome 

reduction process of meiosis.

basidium, basidia (plural)—A microscopic club-shaped structure that produces 

sexual spores in fungi that belong to the phylum Basidiomycota. This phylum 

includes many commercially harvested mushrooms species. This structure 

corresponds to the ascus in Morchella, a member of the phylum Ascomycota.

chromosome—A very long, continuous piece of DNA that carries genetic 

information in cells. Complex organisms store their genetic information on a set 

of chromosomes. A diploid nuclei contains two of each chromosome in the set 

(with genes that perform the same functions located at the same position along 

the strand of DNA). These pared chromosomes are called homologous.

clade—A group of organisms, regardless of taxonomic ranking, that evolved 

together through time. Recent DNA analyses frequently delineate clades of 

genetically similar fungi that include some species that were previously placed in 

dissimilar genera, families, and orders when classifications were predominantly 

based on morphological distinctions.

conidiophore—Hyphal structures that produce conidia.

conidium, conidia (plural)—An asexual (usually clonal) spore produced by simple 

hyphal structures or cells. Also called a conidiospore.

cytoplasm—The jelly-like aqueous contents of a cell including organelles, salts, an 

assortment of organic molecules, and enzymes that catalyze reactions.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

125

dikaryotic—Two, and only two, genetically different nuclei per cell. Generally the 

nuclei are haploid, of compatible mating types, and are paired in proximity, but 

the nuclei have not fused to form a diploid nucleus.

diploid—Containing two copies of each chromosome in a nucleus, typically one 

from each parent.

DNA—Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic 

instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life.

ectomycorrhiza—A type of mycorrhiza where the fungus covers the root tip with 

an outer (“ecto”) mantle of hyphae, penetrates between the outer cells of the 

root tip, but does not penetrate into the root’s cells. Ectomycorrhizae (plural) are 

common on trees in temperate forests and with fungi that produce mushrooms 

and truffles.

fruiting body (American usage) or fruit body (elsewhere)—An organ or 

structure that bears haploid (sexual) spores produced through meiosis. Also 

called a sporocarp. In the case of Morchella species, the morel mushroom itself.

fungivore—An organism that eats fungi, typically animals, insects, or mollusks.

genome—All of the hereditary information of an organism that is encoded in its 

DNA.

haploid—Containing one copy of each chromosome in a nucleus.

Hartig net—A structure, typically formed by ectomycorrhizal fungi, that consists 

of a network of fungal hyphae growing between the epidermal and cortical cells 

of a root tip. 

heterokaryotic—Two or more genetically different, and generally haploid, nuclei 

per cell. (See “dikaryotic”)

hymenium—Spore-bearing surface of a mushroom. The hymenium can take the 

form of gills (as in button mushrooms), ridges (as in chanterelles), tubes (as in 

boletes), or other structures. In the case of morels, it lines the surface of the pits 

in the head.

hypha, hyphae (plural)—A one-cell-wide filament of cells produced by 

multicellular fungi. Collectively, a web of hyphae is referred to as mycelium. 

Hyphae converge to form all fungal structures, for example, rhizomorphs, 

mycorrhizae, or mushrooms.

hypogeous—Fruiting underground (in reference to the fruiting habits of fungi that 

produce sporocarps).
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karyon—A cell nucleus that is either haploid or diploid.

macroscopic—Visible without magnification.

meiosis—The last phase of the cellular process of sexual reproduction (after 

fusion of the cytoplasm and haploid nuclei). Typically some alleles are swapped 

between paired chromosomes and through one doubling and two subsequent 

nuclear divisions, eight recombinant haploid nuclei are formed.

multikaryotic—More than one nucleus per cell. Also referred to as multinucleate. 

The nuclei could all be identical copies or differ (see “heterokaryosis”).

multinucleate—More than one nucleus per cell, regardless of whether they are 

haploid or diploid. Also referred to as multikaryotic.

mycelium, mycelia (plural)—A web of fungal hyphae that colonizes a substrate 

such as soil or decaying organic matter. Sometimes used in conjunction with the 

word “colony” to refer to a fungus individual, as in “mycelial colony.”

mycology—The study of fungi.

mycophagy—Eating fungi.

mycophilic—Fond of fungi, especially eating them.

mycophobic—Fearful of fungi, especially eating them.

mycorrhiza, mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas (plural)—From Greek, “mykes” = 

fungus and “rhiza” = root. The structure formed when the mycelium of a fungus 

associates symbiotically with the root tips of a plant. The fungus acts as the fine 

root system for the plant, providing it with water and mineral nutrients absorbed 

from the surrounding soil, and the plant in return provides the fungus with 

carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis. Mycorrhizae is the plural form 

commonly used in North America; mycorrhizas often is used elsewhere.

nucleus, nuclei (plural)—The membrane-bound subcellular organelle found in 

plants, fungi, and animals that contains one set of an organism’s chromosomes if 

the nucleus is haploid or two paired sets if the nucleus is diploid.

polymorphic—Assuming multiple forms or appearances.

primordium, primordia (plural)—The initial stage in the development of a 

structure, in this case the initial formation of a morel “bud” or “button” that can 

grow into a mature fruit body if conditions remain favorable.

rhizomorphs—Root-like structures formed by densely coalesced hyphae that 

specialize in transporting nutrients or cytoplasm from one location to another.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

127

riparian—River or streamside.

saprobe, saprobic—Decomposer, decomposing. Previously called saprophytes, but 

“phytes” means plants, not fungi.

sclerotium, sclerotia (plural)—Nodules of tightly woven hyphae that store 

nutrients and are resistant to desiccation and cold.

sensu lato—Latin for “in a broad sense.” The term is used after species names to 

indicate that the definition of a species is being interpreted broadly or loosely 

in that specific context. It is abbreviated “s.l.” When “sensu” is used between a 

scientific name and a citation, it means taxonomic criteria or distinctions should 

be considered in the sense described in the publication.

septum, septa (plural)—Wall or separation between adjacent cells of a fungal 

hypha. Morel septa have pores that allow the physiologically controlled transfer 

of cell cytoplasm and nuclei.

sporocarp—Spore-bearing organ or structure. Also called fruiting body 

(American usage) or fruit body (elsewhere). In the case of Morchella species, the 

morel mushroom itself.

stipe—Mushroom stem.
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Acknowledgments

Much of the information for the British Columbia and Yukon regional summary is 

derived from conversations that Shannon Berch had with local experts, including 

(alphabetically): Bill Chapman, Richard Kabzems, Marty Kranabetter, Gerard Olivotto, Susan Skaalid, and Richard Winder. Conversations and correspondence with 

a variety of other individuals provided additional supplemental information cited 

in our footnotes. These individuals include (alphabetically): Lydia Avery, Carolina 

Barroetaveña, Johann Bruhn, Stacie DeWolf, Susie Dunham, Frank Duran, Larry 

Evans, Mario Honrubia, Michael Keefer, Paul Kroeger, Kerry O’Donnell, Götz Palfner, James Trappe, and Dan Winkler. Kerry Sherman, Wallowa-Whitman National 

Forest, helped with the regional summary of the Wallowa and Blue Mountains of 

Oregon.

Michael Kuo, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL; Tom Love, Linfield 

College, McMinnville, OR; and Frank Duran, Region 6, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Portland, OR; kindly agreed to review the manuscript 

within a short period of time. Special thanks are extended to Nancy S. Weber 

whose insights, comments, and thoughtful review greatly improved the manuscript. 

Many aspects of morel biology are still speculative and morel taxonomy remains 

controversial, so reconciling opinions that differed was a challenge. The lead author 

takes full responsibility for choices in interpretation and residual errors.

In addition to the contributions by the co-authors, financial support for preparation of this publication was provided by the Pacific Northwest Research Station 

through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Forest Science, Oregon 

State University, and a contract with the Institute for Culture and Ecology. Funds 

to assist with printing were provided by the Pacific Northwest Region of the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

129

Metric Equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Inches 25,400 Microns, micrometers (μm)

Inches 25.4 Millimeters (mm)

Inches 2.54 Centimeters (cm)

Feet .305 Meters (m)

Yards .9144 Meters (m)

Square feet .0929 Square meters (m2)

Square yards .8361 Square meters (m2)

Miles 1.609 Kilometers (km)

Acres .4047 Hectares (ha)

Pounds .4535 Kilograms (kg)

Short (US) tons .907 Metric tons (t)

Pounds (lb) .00045 Metric tons (t)

Pounds per acre (lb/ac) 1.12085 Kilograms per ha

Morels per acre 2.475 Morels per ha

Farenheit (o F) .556 (oF - 32) Celsius (oC)

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Appendix—Common and Scientific Namesa

Common English names Scientific names

True morelsb:

Asexual conidial stage of Morchella Costantinella cristata Matr. anamorphic

mycelium Leotiales

Morels Morchella species

(Black) burn morel Morchella angusticeps Peck (European 

species only?)

Gray morel (fuzzy or black-foot morel) Morchella esculenta var. atrotomentosa M.M. 

Moser 

 Morchella atrotomentosa (Moser) Bride

Both scientific names using “atrotomentosa” 

are invalid, European species only?

(Black) burn morel Morchella conica Krombh. (European

species only?)

None known Morchella costata J.C. Schmidt & Kunze 

(variety of M. conica?)

Yellow morel Morchella crassipes (Vent.) Pers. (European 

species only?) (Mature stage of “M.

 esculenta” in North America) 

White morel Morchella deliciosa Fr. (European species 

only?)

Natural black morel Morchella elata Fr. (European species only?)

Yellow morel Morchella esculenta (L.) Pers. (European 

species only?)

Guatemalan morel Morchella guatemalensis Guzmán, M.F. 

Torres & Logem. 

None known (named after Morchella herediana Gómez

Herediana, Costa Rica) 

Garden morel Morchella hortensis Boud. 

None known Morchella intermedia Boud. (variety of 

 M. conica?)

None known Morchella rigidoides R. Heim 

Round blond morel Morchella rotunda (Fr.) Boud. (=Morchella 

 esculenta?)

Red-brown blushing morel Morchella rufobrunnea Guzmán & F. Tapia 

Half-free morel Morchella semilibera DC. (Mitrophora

 semilibera)

None known Morchella umbrina Boud. (variety of 

 M. esculenta?)

Mountain blond morel not yet named

Green morel not yet named

Pink morel not yet named

Morel look-alikes and related genera:

Pig’s ears Discina species

Veined cup-fungus Disciotis venosa (Pers.) Arnould 
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Common English names Scientific names

Snowbank or giant false morel Gyromitra gigas s.l. (Krombh.) Cooke 

False morel Gyromitra esculenta (Pers.) Fr. 

False morels, lorchels Gyromitra species

Elfin saddles Gyromitra and Helvella species

Early morel Verpa bohemica (Krombh.) J. Schröt.

Thimble morels Verpa species

Other fungi:

Agaric Any gilled mushroom

Black poplar mushroom Agrocybe aegerita (V. Brig.) Singer 

Button mushroom Agaricus brunnescens Peck 

Boletes (commercially, often in Boletus species

reference to king [autumn] 

and spring boletes)

King bolete Boletus edulis Bull. 

Spring bolete Boletus pinophilus Pilát & Dermek 

Cedar-apple rust Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae 

Schwein. 

Chanterelle (specific usage) Species of the genus Cantharellus

Chanterelles (inclusive or broad usage) Species of the genera Cantharellus, 

 Craterellus, Gomphus, and Polyozellus.

Pixie cup Geopyxis carbonaria (Alb. & Schwein.) Sacc.

Shiitake Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler

Dutch elm disease Ophiostoma ulmi (Buisman) Nannf.

Cinnamon nameko Pholiota nameko (T. Itô) S. Ito & S. Imai

Oyster Pleurotus species

None known Podospora anserina (Rabenh.) Niessl

None known Sclerotina sclerotiorum (Libert) de Bary

American matsutake (pine mushroom) Tricholoma magnivelare (Peck) Redhead

Matsutake (generic term for any Tricholoma matsutake (S. Ito & S. Imai) 

Tricholoma species harvested for Singer, Tricholoma magnivelare (Peck)

culinary use, but typically the Redhead, or Tricholoma caligatum (Viv.) 

native Eurasian species, Tricholoma Ricken

matsutake)

Truffles (In the specific sense it is used Tuber species 

for fungi belonging to the genus Tuber. 

The term “truffles” is also more generally 

used to denote all culinary truffles, or 

more broadly, all fungi that produce 

fruiting bodies underground. The latter 

are technically called “hypogeous” fungi.) 

Nonwoody plants:

Beargrass Xerophyllum tenax (Pursh) Nutt.

Fiddlehead ferns (braken ferns) Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn
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Common English names Scientific names

Polytrichum moss Polytrichum species

Strawberries Fragaria species

Trillium Trillium species

Shrubs:

Huckleberries Vaccinium species

Lilacs Syringa vulgaris L.

Ocean spray Holodiscus discolor (Pursh.) Maxim.

Prostrate ceanothus Ceanothus prostratus Benth.

Salal Gaultheria shallon Pursh

Wooly blackberry Rubus tomentosus Borkh.

Trees:

Alder Alnus species

Apple Malus pumila P. Mill.

Ash Fraxinus species

Aspen Populus species

Beech Fagus species

Black cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Black spruce Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P.

Birch Betula species

Blue gum tree, Tasmanian blue gum Eucalyptus globus Labill.

tree, Australian fever tree

Cherry laurel Prunus laurocerasus L.

Chestnut Castanea sativa P. Mill

Chilean cedar Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Florin et 

Boutelje

Cottonwood Populus species

Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco

Elm Ulmus species

Engelmann spruce Picea engelmannii Perry ex Engelm.

European alder Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.

Hickel’s fir Abies hickelii Flous & Gauss.

Hickory Carya species

Jack pine Pinus banksiana Lamb.

Juniper Juniperus species

Locust Robinia pseudoacacia L.

Lodgepole or shore pine Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. contorta

Maple Acer species

Monterey pine Pinus radiata D. Donn

Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) Karst.

Oak Quercus species

Oyamel fir Abies religiosa (Kunth.) Schltdl. et Cham.

Paper birch Betula papyrifera Marsh.

Pines Pinus species

Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa P. & C. Lawson

Poplars Populus species
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America

161

Common English names Scientific names

Sierran yellow pine (community) Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf., Pinus ponderosa

P. & C. Lawson, and Pinus coulteri D. Don

pine stands

Southern beech Nothofagus species

Subalpine fir Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.

Subalpine larch Larix lyallii Parl.

Sweet gum Liquidambar species

Sycamore Platanus species

True firs Abies species

Tulip poplar Liriodendron tulipifera L.

Weeping pine Pinus patula Schiede ex Schlecht. & Cham.

Western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.

Western larch Larix occidentalis Nutt.

White-alder Clethra species

White fir Abies concolor (Gord. & Glend.) Lindl. ex

Hildebr.

White spruce Picea glauca (Moench) Voss.

Whitebark pine Pinus albicaulis Dougl.

Willow Salix species

Insects:

Douglas-fir tussock moth Orgyia pseudotsugata McDunnough

Flat bug Aradus debilis Uhler

Gypsy moth Lymantria dispar Linnaeus

Millipedes Class Diplopoda

Mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins

Rove beetles Family Staphylinidae

Western spruce bud worm Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman

Wireworms (click beetle larvae) Family Elateridae

Animals:

Elk Cervus canadensis Borowski

Grizzly bear Ursus arctos Linnaeus var. horribilis

Gray wolf Canis lupus Linnaeus

a Fungi are listed alphabetically by scientific names because we used these extensively in the text. Other 

organisms are listed alphabetically by the common names we predominantly used. Our source for scientific 

names and naming authorities for fungal species is the IndexFungorum Database maintained by CABI 

Bioscience and The Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy 

of Arts and Sciences. The database is available online at: http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/NAMES.

ASP. Readers are advised that fungal taxonomy is controversial and changing. This publication is not intended 

as a definite source. When in doubt, check the database or other references as needed. Our source for scientific 

names and naming authorities for trees, shrubs, and nonwoody vascular plants in the United States is the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, National Plant Data Center, Plants 

Database available for online searches at: http://plants.usda.gov/index.html.

b Scientific names of most of the morels listed here are derived from our citation of European literature and likely 

do not apply to most North American species. The common names associated with European scientific names do 

not necessarily reflect usage in North America either. Please see table 1 for the names we use for western North 

American species in this publication.

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