I noted the question re: about mushrooms on felled trees.
FYI, fresh cuts only have a short window of opportunity for inoculation. Each breed is specific, but generally their immune system of chemistry persists after felling and after it subsides, they are invaded with all sorts of spore entering the cut and through the bark. The spores are lurking in an incredibly dense layer just on the edge of the trees defense mechanisms.
That being the case, inoculation is a waste of time immediately after felling or cutting a fresh living tree. So... the trick is wait for the right time. What that time is depends on the tree. But generally, after two weeks spore can access them unhindered. Within a matter of weeks, the wood can be infiltrated with mycelium from whatever spores might have been in it's environment.
That being the case, I inoculate two weeks after the cut. But I also wax the ends of the cordword immediately at the time of felling and/or stacking so that the moisture stays as high as possible and other spores won't infiltrate the butt ends while the log rests. The best wax to use is a water based pure wax used by wood workers for sealing logs and lumber. I don't know what they call it, but it is not melted wax... that is a total hassle and not worth the trouble. The water emulsified stuff is a real treat... pour a bit in pan and dip/seal your logs quick and easy. Use a brush on the branch stubs and you have a sealed log that can rest till it's immune chemistry subsides.
Once you've got your wood sealed, stacked in the shade or covered, order your spore from fungiperfecti.com or wherever. You can get it as pre-inoculated wood plugs that are driven into pre-drilled holes along the length of the log and then waxed shut, or you can band saw them in half lengthwise and sandwich some chip based loose spore between then strap or nail the log back together. There are other approaches for sure, but plugging seems to work for most. You can even generate your own spore by taking a good producing log, stripping it as clean to the core as you can then chip that core all up in as clean an environment you can manage. That chip will be full of the living mycelium of the mushroom that the log was hosting and can be used immediately to inoculate other fresh, sterile logs.
Then wait. When the season for fruiting comes along, pop goes the weasel! Mushrooms forever.... or until the log's cellulose is completely consumed. Aspen,
Ash, Poplar, last for years, the harder woods longer. Of
course, some trees have very persistent immune defenses, so check just what the correct timing is before you waste you time and money on spore. That first order to get a new site infiltrated for generations can be expensive, so be smart about it.
For real production, folks don't wait for the seasonal time, but force the fruiting artificially with cold water dips to fool the mycelium into acting like it's time... waste of time and
energy if you've time on your side and the scale of your venture is more natural.
Check out
http://fungiperfecti.com/ WRT to what to do with all that slash...
Creative stacking can create:
Deer proof island barriers for fresh tree plantings, stack 'em high, surround an area after planting and putting irrigation in place. Whittle away at the pile over the years till the trees are old
enough to be deer safe.
Chicken habitat for young birds not laying yet. (no one wants to dig through a pile of brush for eggs...)
Hog bedrooms
Rabbit warrens
primitive short term bio degradable gabions
raised bed walls, planter walkways
or you can make char with it... that would also be a way to sterilize zones with real bad
perennial weeds. The char burn will sterilize underneath it for a foot deep.
or you could pile it up, run a D9 (geesus big bulldozer) over it to bring it down to size and bury it with a layer of soil or invasive blackberry topsoil scrappings. Keep it wet and in a few years you'll have a water and nutrient tank that will explode growth like you've never seen before. Or turn it all into char by waiting till after it's all dried out before you bring in the D9.
The short version... smile from ear to ear!, you've got a gold mine of life packed into nice neat concentrated packages, you just have to look at it that way for awhile.... till you've cracked the code and can copy nature's way without even considering 'status quo'. With time and creative placement, the forest feeds it's furry footed friends forever....
