Finland is almost completely swamps and forests, the perfect real estate for a mushroom with abundant shade and water! Just 50-100 years ago, Finland was a very poor country and families that could not afford food or soldiers traveling in the forest could live off of the mushrooms. Even Finnish children are taught the difference between poisonous and good mushrooms, so mushrooms are a big part of Finnish culture.
Although mushrooms are not threatened in Finland, picking mushrooms properly (by brushing dirt over the site where you pick it and pulling the whole stem) and avoiding over-picking an area ensures a diverse array of mushrooms in Finland for many years to come. As cities grow bigger and timber from forests, one of Finland's most important exports, is taken away, it is always important to consider the sustainability of an ecosystem when planning communities or making laws and policies. The mushrooms need the forest to survive, and so do we!
