Shiitake and forest
Shiitake and forest
Morotsuka and Shiitake Mushrooms
Morotsuka Village is surrounded by forests. Dating back to the Edo period, shiitake mushrooms have long been cultivated here.
The cultivation of shiitake both makes use of the forest while encouraging its growth. It has become an essential part of the lives of the people in Morotsuka Village, who have recognized the value of coexisting with nature.
This close relationship with the forest has continued for hundreds of years, and continues to be a vital industry for the people of the village to this day.
The entire production process is carried out within the village, starting with the growing of trees which will serve as logs for growing the mushrooms, and up until finished products that are delivered to customers.
Each and every dried mushroom is a precious link to the forests of Morotsuka.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0568/2695/3787/files/page_shiitake_en_img2.png?v=1647924719)
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An FSC®-Certified Forest
Morotsuka Village’s forests have been recognized worldwide, and in 2004 they became Japan’s first village-based forest to receive FSC® certification.
The FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) is an organization that recognizes forestry practices in which the distribution and processing of trees cut from forests take into account principles of conservation that also benefit the region and is practiced in a sustainable manner for the future.
In addition to the lumber produced in Morotsuka, its dried shiitake mushrooms were also certified by the FSC®. It is rare for food products to become FSC®-certified, and Morotsuka’s dried shiitake are the only such certified product in the world.
Choosing FSC®-certified products supports the protection of not just the region of that product, but of forests across the world as well.
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0568/2695/3787/files/page_shiitake_en_img4.png?v=1647924719)
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0568/2695/3787/files/page_shiitake_en_img5.png?v=1647924719)