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The commercial harvest of edible forest fungi has mushroomed into a multimillion dollar industry with several thousand tons harvested annually. The development of this special forest product industry has raised considerable controversy about how this resource should be managed, especially on public lands. Concerns center around destruction of forest habitat by repeated entry and harvest, gradual loss of the mushroom resource by potential overharvest, conflict between recreational users and commercial harvesters, and regulation and monitoring of future harvests. A key to wisely managing the edible mushroom resource is common understanding among resource managers, the mushroom industry, and the concerned public about the biology of these unique forest organisms, their ecological importance in forest ecosystems, and effects of forest disturbance on their survival. The primary objectives of this overview paper are to provide information on the biology of forest fungi, describe the major edible fungi harvested in the Pacific Northwest, integrate a perspective on the social aspects of the mushroom harvest issue, summarize the development of the commercial mushroom industry, and suggest research and monitoring protocols for developing management guidelines.