Key takeaways
- Chaga is almost always wild-harvested because it is hard to cultivate.
- Slow growth and rising demand make responsible harvesting important.
- Good practice includes leaving part of the conk and not over-collecting.
- Ask suppliers where and how their chaga was harvested.
Almost all chaga is wild-harvested from living birch trees in northern forests. As demand has grown, so have questions about how it is collected. This article explains why sustainable harvesting matters and what responsible sourcing looks like.
Why chaga is wild-harvested
Chaga’s familiar form, the black conk on a birch trunk, develops over years inside a living tree. It has proved difficult to cultivate in this form, so products almost always use wild material. See Chaga and Birch Trees.
Why sustainability matters
- Slow growth: a conk can take many years to reach harvestable size.
- Rising demand: popularity has increased pressure on accessible forests.
- Ecological role: chaga is part of the forest ecosystem it grows in.
What responsible harvesting looks like
Guidance from foraging and forestry sources commonly includes:
- harvesting only from living birch trees;
- leaving part of the conk on the tree;
- not taking every conk from an area;
- having permission from the landowner;
- following local rules on foraging.
Quality as well as sustainability
Where chaga grows can also matter for quality, which is one reason testing of wild material is valuable. See Heavy Metals in Mushrooms.
Questions to ask a supplier
- Where was the chaga harvested?
- Who harvested it, and how?
- Is it tested?
Our chaga
Our chaga is wild-harvested from birch in Finland. We extract it in hot water and plant-derived ethanol in small batches in Dorset. Explore our Chaga tincture or read The Complete Guide to Chaga.