Marjut Turtiainen, Olli Saastamoinen, Kari Kangas, Matti Vaara. (2012). Picking of wild edible mushrooms in Finland in 1997–1999 and 2011. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 4 article id 911. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.911

Keywords: wild mushrooms; mushroom picking; household use; market use; milk caps; ceps

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

This study reports on national survey results concerning mushroom picking in Finland during four separate years: 1997–1999 and 2011. The material was collected by mailed questionnaire surveys amongst Finnish households. The sample size varied from 1858 (in 1998) to 6849 households (in 1997) and the response rates varied from 51% (in 2011) to 70% (in 1999). The results indicate that both the rate of participation in mushroom picking and estimates of the quantities collected varied greatly depending on whether the survey was conducted in a favourable or unfavourable year. In 1998, when the mushroom crop was abundant, a total of 47% of all households were engaged in picking and the total harvest was 16.1 million kg. In 1999, when the crop was poor, the estimates were the lowest (23% and 3.3 million kg, respectively) and in a year with a relatively abundant crop (2011), the estimates were 42% and 15.0 million kg, respectively. Mushrooms were collected mainly for home use, which accounted for 85–90% of the total harvest depending on the year. Only a small proportion of all households (0.3–1.3%) were engaged annually in commercial mushroom picking. In 1997–1999, milk caps formed the major part of the total amount picked (i.e. 37–53% depending on the year), whilst in 2011 their share was approximately one fifth of the total harvest. The results also indicate that the proportion of ceps in commercial picking has increased since the 1990s

Turtiainen, University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: marjut.turtiainen@uef.fi
Saastamoinen, University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: olli.saastamoinen@uef.fi
Kangas, University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: kari.kangas@uef.fi
Vaara, University of Eastern Finland, School of Forest Sciences, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: matti.vaara@uef.fi

article id 582, category Research article

Kari Kangas, Pasi Markkanen. (2001). Factors affecting participation in wild berry picking by rural and urban dwellers. Silva Fennica vol. 35 no. 4 article id 582. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.582

Keywords: non-wood forest products; wild berries; participation; household behaviour

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The purpose of this study was to examine the participation of urban and rural dwellers in the activity of berry-picking. The respondents in the study lived in the city of Joensuu and in the municipality of Ilomantsi, in eastern Finland. 68% of Joensuu households compared with 82% of those in Ilomantsi participated in berry-picking. These evident differences in the participation rates may be largely due to the higher costs incurred by urban dwellers in picking, since the probability of participation was not significantly higher for Ilomantsi households compared with those in Joensuu who had access to a summer-cottage which was likely to be located near the berry resources. In both municipalities, the participants were divided into two groups according to the nature of their participation in the activity. The larger group – termed ordinary pickers – were characteristically younger families with children, while the other group, termed active pickers, were distinctly more advanced in age. The quantities picked for home consumption by the groups of pickers in Ilomantsi were twice as large as those picked by the corresponding groups in Joensuu. In Joensuu, households were not significantly involved in commercial picking.

Kangas, University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forestry, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: kari.kangas@joensuu.fi
Markkanen, University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forestry, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: pm@nn.fi

article id 665, category Research article

Kari Kangas. (1999). Trade of main wild berries in Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 33 no. 2 article id 665. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.665

Keywords: imports; bilberry; non-wood forest products; trade; lingonberry; exports

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The price trends and markets of the main wild berries, bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) and lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.), were analysed in this study, which covered both domestic use of berries, imports and exports. The periods considered were for bilberries from 1988 to 1997 and for lingonberries from 1979 to 1994. The results indicated that both exports and imports have increased and domestic berries have lost their market share to imports in domestic use. One possible explanation for this trend was found in price development. Both export and import prices have decreased, but export price has still been higher than the import price. Simultaneously the domestic price has decreased the fastest. The formation of the price of lingonberries paid to the pickers in the organised domestic markets was studied with a regression model. The results indicated that domestic price was negatively dependent on the amounts of lingonberries demanded in the domestic markets and positively dependent on the export price. Correlation analysis gave evidence on the same kind of relations concerning bilberries.

Kangas, University of Joensuu, Faculty of Forestry, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: kari.kangas@forest.joensuu.fi

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