RELATIVE VALUE OF CHANTERELLES AND TIMBER AS COMMERCIAL FOREST PRODUCTS

Comparing the economic value of edible mushrooms and timber requires m any assumptions. We use chanterelle (Chantharellus sp.) mushrooms coll ected from productive Douglas-fir (Pseudo-tsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Fran ce) forests on the Olympic Peninsula as an example. Discounted present net worth in perpetuity is estimated for both mushrooms and timber us ing two timber harvest regimes and three levels of chanterelle product ivity. Given these assumptions, timber is 1-2 orders of magnitude more valuable than mushrooms, yet while timber grows, harvesting mushrooms can provide annual income to harvesters once fruiting is established.