United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Northern Research Station General Technical Report NRS-79.
The Authors:
MICHAEL E. OSTRY, research plant pathologist, U.S. Forest Service,
Northern Research Station, St. Paul, MN
NEIL A. ANDERSON, professor emeritus, University of Minnesota,
Department of Plant Pathology, St. Paul, MN
JOSEPH G. O’BRIEN, plant pathologist, U.S. Forest Service, Forest
Health Protection, St. Paul, MN
INTRODUCTION: ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide is intended to serve as a quick reference to selected, common macro-fungi (fungi with large fruit bodies such as mushrooms, brackets, or conks) frequently encountered in four broad forest ecosystems in the Midwest and Northeast: aspen-birch, northern hardwoods, lowland conifers, and upland conifers. Although these fungi are most common in the ecosystems we list them in, many can be found associated with tree species in multiple ecosystems. We provide brief identifying characteristics of the selected mushrooms to allow you to identify some down to the species level and others to the genus or group to which they belong. Former scientific names are provided in parentheses. Also included in each mushroom description are details about its ecosystem function, season of fruiting, edibility, and other characteristics.