Ecosystem Services - Forest Guild

Not only has the site transitioned fromrainfall-dependant harvests to forcedfruiting, but the actual arrangement of thelogs has also been changed. The originallayout of the site grouped the logs in a logcabin formation. The resulting microclimateallowed for more retained moisture, but thefinished product was often damaged by pestsand of a lower quality. Because the logs nolonger rely on these microclimates, they reston ricks in space-efficient, long rows.Since 2007, the actual volume of mushroomsharvested has increased significantly. Inaddition, the product is consistently cleanerand more aesthetically pleasing. The majorityof the mushrooms are marketed directlyto the Warren Wilson community, campuscafeterias, and local restaurants. Withoutthe forced fruiting process, establishing apermanent relationship with many of ourrestaurant customers would not have beenpossible. Ongoing management of thesesales also provides the students with aneducational marketing experience.While not directly applicable, the studentwork program may present a uniquecontext for assessing economic viabilityand applicability for larger operations. AtWarren Wilson, the crew is granted a budgetin which fixed costs of the operation, suchas mushroom spawn, are included, andlabor is paid by the institution at a rate nearminimum wage. If the crew accounted forlabor and was not provided a budget, thecurrent operation would not be economicallyviable. However, the production operateson an economy of scale. The crew intends toincrease the number of logs by 50 percentin 2010, while yearly labor will remain atrelatively the same. Fixed costs of spawn andinoculating labor are expected to increase byonly 10 percent over five years, a 50 percentincrease in profitability is predicted.Warren WilsonCollege Forest.Innoculated logs are placedon ricks for easy access forharvesting.Logs are cultivatedby placing “plugs” ofmycelium-inoculated dowelsinto holes drilled intosuitable logs.Close-up ofshitake mushrooms.In all, the mushroom production andmarketing operation at Warren WilsonCollege has demonstrated one potentiallyviable ecosystem service solution forwoodland owners.WISDOM summer 2010 / 11