Mushrooms are ecologically important. Many plants owe their existence to fungi. Plants have co-evolved with fungi for aeons into a type of symbiosis called mycorrhizal. Without some fungi, many plants die. Without the plants, fungi do not thrive.
Mushrooms are a sustainable forest product.
If you love forests, you can preserve them by making them cost-effective. In 1991 we moved Mushroompeople to the hardwood forests of Tennessee, a mushroom cultivator's paradise. In this area of chip mills and clearcutting, we show our neighbors that growing shiitake can be profitable. Using sustainable tree harvesting methods, one can actually benefit the woods by releasing healthy trees from competition by weaker ones, thus growing a climax forest sooner than nature can alone. We are North America's oldest mail-order supply firm for specialty mushroom growers.