1) The presentation discusses optimizing management of spruce stands in North Karelian, Finland to jointly produce timber and the marketed mushrooms Boletus edulis and Lactarius spp. 2) Simulation and optimization modeling found that mushroom yields peaked before the first commercial thinning, so timber-oriented management was sufficient without modification. 3) Including mushroom production value significantly increased long-term economic returns, with total soil expectation value up to 4 times higher than from timber alone in good mushroom stands.

1. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Non-Timber Forest Products and Bioeconomy
28–30 November 2017, Rovaniemi, Finland
Veera Tahvanainen, Timo Pukkala, Jari Miina (LUKE), Mikko Kurttila (LUKE)
Optimizing the joint production of
timber and marketed mushrooms in
North Karelian spruce stands

2. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Content of the presentation
•Background
•Spruce stands and marketed mushrooms
•Optimal management for joint-production
•Conclusions
4.12.2017 2

3. UEF // University of Eastern Finland Photo: Erkki Oksanen 3
The Finnish spruce forests
Spruce forests:
• Forest cover: 75 % of the land area (approx. 23 million ha).
• 30 % Picea abies (of growing stock vol.).
• Lot of planted spruce forests in Southern Finland.
Marketed mushrooms:
• Everyman’s rights enable mushroom picking from forests.
• Picking activity is high in eastern Finland.
• Most marketed species: B. edulis and Lactarius trivialis, also
L. rufous and L. torminosus are important marketed species.
• They are mycorrhizal mushrooms.
www.google.fi/maps

4. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Finding optimal stand management for joint production
4.12.2017 4
1) Simulations
• Stand growth simulator with growth models
(Pukkala et al. 2009, 2013).
• Yields models for B. edulis and Lactarius spp.
(Tahvanainen et al. 2016)
3) Optimization
• The soil expectation value with 3 % discount
rate was maximized.
• Harvesting costs and mushroom prices were
included in calculations.
• Management was optimized separately for:
1) timber and B. edulis
2) timber and Lactarius spp.
3) timber and B. edulis + Lactarius spp.
2) Mushroom yields and picking
• Stands with good mushroom yields were
selected
• 95 % of B. edulis and 75 % of Lactarius spp.
yields were harvested.
Photo: Leo Vainio

5. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Optimal stand management for B. edulis and timber
4.12.2017 5
 Optimal two-thinning
management schedules
very similar.
 Yields are highest
before the first
thinning.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
B. edulis and timber B. edulis 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis 3.1 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
B.edulisharvest,kg/ha/a
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
B. edulis and timber B. edulis 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis 3.1 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis harvest

6. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Optimal stand management for Lactarius spp. and timber
4.12.2017 6
 Forest management
similar to that of
timber only.
 Yields are highest
right before the first
thinning.
 Thinning had
negative impact on
yields.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
Lactarius spp. and timber L. spp. 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
L. spp. 1.7 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Lactariusspp.harvest,kg/ha/a
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
Lactarius spp. and timber L. spp. 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
L. spp. 1.7 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
Lactarius spp. harvest

7. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Optimal stand management for mushrooms and timber
4.12.2017 7
 Forest management
slightly differ from
that of timber only.
 Longer rotation length
in joint production
oriented management
schedule.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
B. edulis, Lactarius spp.
and timber
B. edulis/L. spp. 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis/L. spp. 3.1/1.7 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Mushroomharvest,kg/ha/a
Standbasalarea,m2/ha/a
Stand age, years
B. edulis, Lactarius spp.
and timber
B. edulis/L. spp. 0 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis/L. spp. 3.1/1.7 €/kg, Timber 56/29 €/m3
B. edulis harvest
Lactarius spp. harvest

8. UEF // University of Eastern Finland
Comparing SEVs in different management schedules
*B. edulis and Lactarius spp. harvests and total SEV from timber and
mushrooms were calculated using the B. edulis and Lactarius spp. prices 3.10
€/kg and 1.70 €/kg respectively.
4.12.2017 8
SEV (soil expectation value)
Timber B. edulis and
timber
Lactarius spp.
and timber
B. edulis, Lactarius
spp. and timber
SEV total (€/ha) 655 1066 1539
SEV without mushrooms (€/ha) 373 375 373 373
Additional SEV from
mushrooms (€/ha)
279 693 1166
SEV (soil expectation value)
Timber
[all mushrooms]
B. edulis and
timber
Lactarius spp.
and timber
B. edulis, Lactarius
spp. and timber
SEV total (€/ha)
[1535]* 655 1066
1539
SEV without mushrooms (€/ha) 373 375 373 373
Additional SEV from
mushrooms (€/ha)
[1162]* 279 693
1166
Postponing
final cutting
with 7 years
does not
affect the
SEV
Additional
income
from
mushrooms
is notable!

9. UEF // University of Eastern Finland 9
Discussion & Conclusions
• The peaks in the yields early: before the first commercial thinning.
→ Not necessary to modify the timber-oriented stand management.
→ Mainly in synergy.
→ In other studies the NWFPs has changed the forest management (Palahí at al. 2009 - mushrooms,
Miina et al. 2016 – berries, Pasalodos-Tato et al. 2016 – pine cones).
• More studies needed on thinning effect:
• The thinning is presented by yield models -> predicting yield by using dbh and stand age.
→ More research needed to be certain that the yields are reacting to thinnings according to
current models.
→ Thinning effects might depend on many things: thinning intensity, tree and mushroom
species etc.
• In good mushroom stands, the total SEV can be up to four times higher compared to SEV without
mushrooms.
→ Everyman’s rights -> anyone can benefit
→ The forest owner does not lose anything

10. Thank you!

11. UEF // University of Eastern Finland 11
References
• Miina , J., Pukkala, T., Kurttila, M. 2016. Optimal multi-product management of stands producing
timber and wild berries. Eur. J. For. Res. 135 (4): 781–794.
• Palahí, M., Pukkala, T., Bonet, J. A., Colinas, C., Fischer, C. R., Martínez de Aragón, J. 2009. Effect of
the inclusion of mushrooms values on the optimal management of even-aged pine stands of
Catalonia. For. Sci., 55 (6): 503–511.
• Pasalodos-Tato, M., Pukkala, T., Calama, R., Cañellas, I., Sánchez-González, M. 2016. Optimal
management of Pinus pinea stands when cone and timber production are considered. Eur. J. For.
Res.135:607–619.
• Pukkala T, Lähde E, Laiho O. 2009. Growth and yield models for uneven-sized forest stands in
Finland. For. Ecol. Manage. 258: 207–216.
• Pukkala, T., Lähde, E., Laiho, O. 2013. Species interactions in the dynamics of even- and uneven-
aged boreal forests. J. Sustain. For. 32(4): 371–403.
• Tahvanainen, V., Miina, J., Kurttila, M., Salo, K. 2016. Modelling the yields of marketed mushrooms
in Picea abies stands in eastern Finland. For. Ecol. Manage. 362: 79–88.