This is not about truffles, but its a huge mental change in Catalonia about wild edible mushrooms.
Most of you will know that in Catalonia we just love mushrooms! since you are a kid, you go out to the forest with your grandparents, and they teach you which are edible and which poisonous. We are 7,5 million people in Catalonia and there is more than 1 million gathering wild mushrooms every weekend in the forests. Although 85% of the forest in private, forest owners can get no money from this non wood products.
Last week a Pilot Plann was scheduled to harvest wild edible mushrooms in a public forest. You’ll pay a €10 fee per season. It seems almost nothing, but it’s a huge step forward!
For those of you interested in the topic. See this link (in catalan language): ORDRE AAM/254/2012, de 31 d’agost, d’aprovació del Pla pilot de recol·lecció de bolets dins l’àmbit del paratge natural d’interès nacional de Poblet i de la seva zona d’influència, i de creació del preu públic vinculat al Pla pilot.
Last year the first experience in a private forest was done through the SylvaMED project. A Pay System for Environmental Services has been stablished for the conservation and management of the mycological resources.
This experience is carried out in the Pyrinees area with mycological paths (www.monegal.com/portal/6).
A new book on Mycological Resources Management in Catalonia has just been published. A really good job. Digital copies here: http://www.micosylva.com/pms/sites/default/files/Martinez.pdf
All the best!
Marcos S. Morcillo
nice to find other wild mushrooms along side the trufa. Would like to contact you ref an idea I have for investors (armchair farmers) for here in catalunya.
What an excellent idea! We should do something similar here in the Carolinas.