Chaga Cultivation Offers Potential, Environmentally Friendly, Income for Woodlot Owners

By Jonathan Murray, Co-Founder, President, Forage Hyperfoods Inc., Lower Ottawa Valley Chapter

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a type of mushroom that grows mainly on birch trees in northern Europe, Asia, Canada, and the northeastern United States. With a golden amber core, this mushroom could be an exciting new opportunity for cultivation by woodlot owners. Such an endeavour has the potential to provide sustainable income and at the same time be environmentally and ecologically friendly. With the consistent and prominent use of Chaga in Asian cultures, many of the natural reserves have been exhausted.* Unlike other medicinal mushrooms, a commercial practice to farm Chaga in a greenhouse or manufacturing facility is not feasible. Some companies have begun to market a chaga-like product that is grown on rice or oats and put into a powder. This practice does not create the nutrient dense food that customers expect when consuming Chaga. Harvestable Chaga mushroom can take between five and seven years to grow making a sustainable harvesting practice critical. Forage Hyperfoods Inc. is an Ontario based company that is implementing a sustainable farming method for the Canadian Chaga industry; strict harvesting instructions and a method of seeding the forest.

Strict Harvesting

Forage is currently the largest Canadian supplier of wild Canadian Chaga, serving thousands of

White Birch in fall

customers worldwide. We have one of the largest networks of independent harvesters in the world, across Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. In line with a strict policy for sustainability we have signed agreements with all of our harvesters that require them to leave at least 30% of the Chaga on the host, and to take all necessary precautions to prevent any damage to the tree.

Seeding the Forest

Forage, along with international research partners, have developed a safe method of seeding the forest with Chaga. We first grow Chaga mycelium (seeding structure) in our facility on wood dowels, then implant mature birch trees. With an average life span of a birch tree being 40-50 years, we instruct our harvesters to only seed mature trees. We can then expect two to three harvests per tree before its natural lifecycle comes to an end. Ontario and Canada could develop and have a controlling share in a lucrative industry with Chaga mushrooms with the adoption of sustainable harvesting and seeding of our forests. If carriedout in the right way, as the demand continues to climb world-wide, Canada’s supply of wild chaga mushrooms will begin to grow significantly within five years as competitive regions in Europe and Asia begin to exhaust.

Health and Medicinal Benefits

Chaga has been used for many years as a natural medicine to stimulate the immune system, reduce inflammation and prevent/treat cancer. This mushroom has been the focus of over 100 clinical studies where in vitro, chaga has demonstrated antitumor, anti-mutagenic, antiviral, antiplatelet, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and analgesic effects.* Further research is required to prove out the efficacy of chaga or chaga based treatments for infections or diseases. As a result of COVID-19, the search for natural immune boosting foods and supplements increased significantly. Chaga mushrooms were used by many for their potential antiviral properties, as an easy additive to their daily routine, whether by tea, coffee blend or pill extract. Medicinal mushrooms such as Chaga are among the most nutrient dense foods in the world; a reason why the growth in the adoption in these products will not be a passing trend. Our ancestors have used mushrooms as medicine for thousands of years. Ötzi, the Ice Man, who lived nearly 5300 years ago, carried amadou and a birch polypore tethered in a pouch to help him survive in the Alps of northern Italy. The OWA and Forage Hyper Foods Inc. are now exploring opportunities to partner in this exciting new venture. If there are any members with mature birch stands in their woodlots, and you are interested in trying something new and different with chaga that eventually could lead to a sustainable harvest with revenue, please visit Chaga.ca for more information, or contact the OWA office directly.

Chaga chunks

OWA Disclaimer:

The OWA does not have expertise in herbal or fungal supplements and is not in a position to corroborate or endorse the health and medicinal benefits of chaga. People considering ingesting chaga for the first time should check with their healthcare provider. There can be side effects in some instances.

* https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrativemedicine/herbs/chaga-mushroom ❧