Home > The Story of Pine-Mushrooms > Geographical Distibution
Pine-mushrooms appear from early September to mid October. They grow in areas that drain well and do not contain too much organic matter. As can be deduced from the name 'pine-mushroom', they grow where pine trees are abundant.

Pine-mushrooms grow well under 20 to 80 years old pine trees situated in steep areas. As their fungi spread
along the roots of pine trees, the mushrooms constantly move out little by little.

Unlike other mushrooms, there is yet no way to artificially cultivate pine-mushrooms. They grow out in soil under pine trees and spread along from their original place. Wild animals eat them, and the excrement of the animals spreads the spores of the mushroom.

In the ecosystem, pine-mushrooms live in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of pine trees and accelerate the aeration of soil.

To prevent extinction, the pine-mushroom was designated as 'an item of forest products whose use is to be limited' by the Forest Law, and only experts with a permit could pick and gather pine-mushrooms. Also, they were collected solely by the forestry cooperative association and could only be sold by registered distributors. However, this law was abolished recently due to deregulations.
Pine-mushrooms used to grow in pine forests all over the Korean peninsula. However, today, they grow mainly in the areas of the Taebaek and Sobaek Mountains.

Today, Gyongsangbuk-do makes up 65% of the total output and Kangwon-do makes up 27%. The most famous areas are Uljin, Bonghwa, Youngduk of Gyongsangbuk-do, and Yangyang of Kangwon-do. Chunchong-do and Gyongsangnam-do also produce high quality pine-mushrooms.
If you look at how the main producing areas are distributed by elevation, you can see that they do not exceed 1,150 meters in the southern region, 1,000 meters in the central region, and 900 meters in the northern region.

However, due to indifference on forest management and mountain fires, pine forests are diminishing. Thus, the production of pine-mushrooms is also decreasing. Generally, pine-mushrooms start appearing in early September and go on for about 40 days. They flourish from late September to early October, but this may differ every year.
Due to unstable domestic production, the prices in the market for Japanese pine-mushrooms fluctuate widely. Up to now, the Japanese market has centered on imports from Korea; however, since 1993, the import of North Korean and Chinese pine-mushrooms has increased significantly. During these years, Japan has imported 10 times the amount of their domestic crop; there, the pine-mushroom is an item quite reliant on imports.
Pine-mushrooms in Japan
The main producing areas of pine-mushrooms in Japan are Hiroshima-ken, Eewate-ken, Nagano-ken, and Okawa-ken. The output of these areas makes up 25-30% of the total production. The period of production is September to November; similar to that of Korea. The number of farmers concentrating on pine-mushrooms was recorded at 19,370 in 1995, and has since been decreasing every year.
Pine-mushrooms in China
The main producing regions in China are the alpine regions such as the Unnam-province, Gillim-province, and Sachon-province. The mushrooms of the Gillim-province are known to be of the highest quality. On the other hand, the Unnam-province records the highest production. The mushrooms are gathered from August to November; but in the Unnam-province, they are gathered even in December.
Pine-mushrooms in America
American pine-mushrooms are mainly gathered by herbalists in the Rocky Mountains.

Most of the pine-mushrooms produced in America are exported to Japan and are ranked from 1st to 7th grade. They grow mainly in the mountains on the Pacific coast, in southern Alaska, and in western Montana. They are usually gathered in national forest areas or forest areas under the Bureau of Land Management.
Pine-mushrooms in Canada
The productivity of Canadian pine-mushrooms is not reported; there are no reliable statistics as of yet. However, pine-mushrooms are gathered in the fall and exported to Japan from areas such as the province of British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec; these areas have the adequate temperature and humidity for the growth of pine-mushrooms.