Mushroom enthusiast creates app to help foragers find state forests

Mushroom enthusiast Fred Gehrke has created an app mapping state-forest areas where mushrooms may grow, ERR reported. He told the programme “Ringvaade” that he wanted to forage but often returned from the forest without finding any.

Gehrke said his interest in mushrooms began four or five years ago. He used maps from the Land and Spatial Planning Board to find suitable forests, then filtered them for spruce thickets and pole-stage forests. The app, called Seeneleidja, helps users locate those areas, but Gehrke said the amount of mushrooms varies by region and by the stage of the season. He plans to address when mushrooms are available by next season.

The map includes only state forests, not private woodland, Gehrke said. He added that the app had received many downloads and positive comments. It is currently available for Android phones.