Comox Valley Naturalists Society

Sunday, May 20, 2003
Shannon Berch
Wild Forest Mushrooms

Harvesting wild mushrooms is both a recreational and commercial activity in the Comox Valley. At the meeting of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society on Sunday May 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Filberg Seniors Lounge, 411 Anderton Ave. in Courtenay, guest speaker Shannon Berch examined the effects of this activity.

Shannon Berch is a Research Scientist with the Research Branch of the British Columbia Ministry of Forests, adjunct professor in Agricultural Sciences at UBC, and a Registered Professional Agrologist. She does research on soil conservation and its relation to site productivity and is active with the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society.

Recently, Berch has been able to apply her interests in mushrooms and expertise in soil biology to a new area of research: the mushrooms being commercially harvested from the forests of BC. She spoke about the wild forest mushrooms that are harvested on northern Vancouver Island for personal enjoyment and commercial profit. Her focus was mostly the ecology and sustainability of these fungi and activities.

Click on a link below to view descriptions of previous guest speakers.