The ecology and economy of morels in British Columbia's East Kootenay.

摘要

Morels (Morchella.:Fr. ssp.) are widely known as being amongst the finest wild fungus foods; in Western North America, they are best known to fruit after wildfires. The summer of 2003 in the Kootenay Region was characterized by intense heat, smoke from wildfires and a backcountry travel ban. The spring of 2004 saw a major morel harvest in the East Kootenay. There are many unanswered questions concerning the Morchella spp., and how the life cycle and ecology of this fungus interact with fire and other disturbances. This project aimed to increase our understanding of morel mushroom ecology and some of the economics of the morel harvest following wildfire. The research used ecological and ethnological survey methods together in order to gain both scientific data and contemporary ecological knowledge from the morel pickers.