How To Harvest Chaga Sustainable
The uniqueness of the Chaga fungus is undeniable. This medicinal mushroom grows and lives on a birch tree trunk for many years. During its life span,
Chaga not only keeps but also accumulates and concentrates the strength and life-giving energy which passes through the birch trunk. Thus, Chaga
products made from wild-harvested mushrooms could
provide amazing health benefits.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. “
Ralph Waldo Emerson
While collecting this Gift from Nature you
should remember that harvesting should be done carefully,
with special equipment and knowledge – all this will help to protect life
birch tree and offer sustainable harvesting!
When to harvest chaga
When and how to collect is just as important as the environment in which this unique mushroom grows.
To harvest Chaga from birch trees, we employ specially trained people with experience and who are able to distinguish and find the highest quality Chaga mushroom.
Chaga grows only on old, living birch trees. The best birch trees are at least 10–15 years old, with the Chaga growing at least 2–3 meters from the ground. This combination seems to foster a stronger concentration of wellness properties in the Chaga. Remember that only the living trees are suitable for the collection of Chaga. And only birch tree Chaga offers health supportive benefits!
Investing facts about harvesting chaga
People have been using Siberian Chaga mushroom for centuries because it provides so many helpful benefits. They knew that chaga is a powerful medicinal mushroom that supports good health. Research has verified many of the ancient theories surrounding the health benefits of chaga and scientists continue to investigate other uses for this unassuming mushroom. Today, healthcare professionals recommend use of chaga products in a variety of ways, including as a dietary supplement that augments the performance of vitamins and minerals. Chaga is an adaptogen that supports the recovery of body cells and tissues damaged by free radicals.
Best Practice for chaga mushroom harvesting
Chaga is a finite resource. And we must treat such reserves with the utmost respect. Only the best suppliers of the world’s finest Chaga will sustain the product in their best environment, with a view to continued growth. Sustainability is not a new word but is becoming one of the most important factors when protecting our earth’s dwindling resources.
In the process of harvesting birch tree Chaga, you need to know a few important things. When you found fungus on the tree, within reachable height, you would think that all is left is to take it off from the trunk, but it is not that simple. Of course, you could just cut it down using an ax or a knife, without thinking about the outcome, but the goal is to collect Chaga as efficiently and safely as possible in order to provide sustainable harvesting, which won’t harm the tree.
Sayan harvesters use special equipment that guarantees maximum safety for the life birch tree, and further growth of Chaga in the place it was removed.
Harvesting Chaga takes skill. When harvesters remove Chaga mushroom from the birch trees, a thin layer of mycelium is left. You can see how the birch tree after Chaga harvesting looks like on thе picture above.
“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Each harvester ensures that the Chaga harvesting is properly done so the birch tree is not damaged. Small pieces of Chaga are left on the birch tree to promote future Chaga growth. The best technique allows faster recovery for the tree and it also increases the nutrients which birch tree gets after the large Chaga is removed. By removing mature Chaga, the life of the birch tree might be extended while more Chaga grows.
Sayan harvesters use special equipment that guarantees maximum safety for the life
Identifying chaga: What does chaga look like?
The first step in the collection of the Chaga mushroom is the correct identification of this King of Herbs. Chaga can be mistaken for Chaga look-alike burl or a protruding knot on the tree. The novice will soon find out that trying to harvest a burl
will be considerably harder than harvesting Chaga.
“Chaga is significant in ethnomycology, forest ecology, and increasingly in pharmacognosy. Its long-term human use and cultural eastern European and Russian acceptance should awaken serious researchers to its potential as a reservoir of new medicines, and as a powerful preventive ally for protecting DNA. “Paul Stamets
If you want to be a Chaga hunter, you can do own research just to be sure what does Chaga looks like. Imposing in its outer appearance, Chaga is strangely recognizable. You could find many pictures of Chaga’s rough outside texture in books and articles on the internet.
Where to find chaga
Wild Chaga is found in the coldest climates of the Northern hemisphere, in countries like Canada, USA, Russia, and Finland. Try to stay away from the cities as far as possible, rural area the best place to start the Chaga hunting.
You can find Chaga mushroom domestically in Maine, Alaska, Vermont, and some other states. Since Chaga grown popularity in the USA for the last several years, few companies were founded and now they offer Chaga mushroom which is harvested domestically. You can find plenty of Alaska Chaga or Maine Chaga online but Siberian Chaga is still somewhat of a rarity.
While this medicinal mushroom grows in a few locations around the world, we believe the purest and most potent Chaga grows in Siberia, the only place we wild-harvest our Chaga. The climate in Siberia is the main reason behind the best quality Chaga mushroom worldwide. Summer is very sunny, and it rarely rains. The maximum temperature during summer varies from 59°F to 95° F (from + 15°C to +35° C).
Tools for harvesting chaga
Chaga (Inonotus obliquus), a fungus from the Hymenochaetaceae family, is a mushroom that grows on the outside of birch trees. Chaga mushroom is a dense, black mass that looks like burnt charcoal. This black mass, sometimes called clinker polypore, cinder conk, or birch canker polypore, has a hard, black crust that closely resembles a tumor. The average chaga mushroom measures 25 to 40 cm, which is about 9 to 15 inches, but can be as large as 1.5 meters. The weight depends on the age and size, and can reach 20 kg or more.
Be healthy and spread the word about siberian chaga
Wild Chaga is found in the coldest climates of the Northern hemisphere, in countries like Canada, USA, Russia, and Finland. Try to stay away from the cities as far as possible, rural area the best place to start the Chaga hunting.
You can find Chaga mushroom domestically in Maine, Alaska, Vermont, and some other states. Since Chaga grown popularity in the USA for the last several years, few companies were founded and now they offer Chaga mushroom which is harvested domestically. You can find plenty of Alaska Chaga or Maine Chaga online but Siberian Chaga is still somewhat of a rarity.
While this medicinal mushroom grows in a few locations around the world, we believe the purest and most potent Chaga grows in Siberia, the only place we wild-harvest our Chaga. The climate in Siberia is the main reason behind the best quality Chaga mushroom worldwide. Summer is very sunny, and it rarely rains. The maximum temperature during summer varies from 59°F to 95° F (from + 15°C to +35° C).
How is Chaga used? And for what?
Hello Ester,
Thank you for your question. Chaga mushroom is generally used to promote overall wellness, boost energy, improve the immune system, and support healthy digestion among other wellness benefits. There are different types of products and each has directions on how to use it on our website.
How do you store Chaga at home and how long does it store for?
You should store chaga products in a dark place at room temperature. Please make sure that the packaging is tightly closed. Don’t store wet chaga chunks or powder, they should’ve dried before storing. All products have the expiration date on the packaging, we don’t recommend using chaga after the expiration date, even if it was stored properly.
Do we have to maintain any temperature settings for Chaga harvesting? Please let me know if we need to take any specific precautions to protect the harvest.
Not sure we understand your question. The harvesting happens in the wild, so you can’t really maintain outside temperature. After chaga harvested, it needs to be cleaned and dried after that you can store chaga.
what do you say about harvesting in towns? not a good idea rigth? got a friend doing that, and i keep telling him its toxic but he wont lissend
Dear Robin,
We do not recommend harvesting Chaga in towns since there are are a lot of toxins and pollutions that Chaga mushroom could absorb.
I’ve heard that
Chaga grows on other trees other than Birch can you tell me?
Because I live in S.W. Oregon and can’t find any Birch trees here.