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Monongahela National Forest Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

Monongahela National Forest

Monongahela NF in the Allegheny Highlands. Rich northern hardwood forests with tulip poplar, sugar maple, red oak, and American beech. Excellent morel habitat in cove hardwoods and along stream bottoms. Spruce Knob (4,863 ft) is the state high point. Old orchards and disturbed ground along forest roads are prime spring targets.

Trees:Tulip Poplar Sugar Maple Red Oak

Updated Jul 13, 4:09 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

Monongahela is locked in S-tier right now—you've got sustained soil warmth (62°F solid across seven days), perfect moisture saturation (0.32 VWC held steady), and zero drought stress. That's the trifecta. You're looking at 60+ species across all functional groups: culinary standards like Chicken of the Woods, Wine Cap, and Giant Puffball are prime; medicinals (Reishi, Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk, Birch Polypore) are at peak potency; and the saprobes and wood-rotters (Jelly Ear, Wood Ear, Aspen Oyster) are fruiting hard. No limiting factors means no hedging needed—everything with "high viability" is actually fruitbody-ready right now, not weeks away. The only mild note: Black Trumpet is still activating (only 4/7 days threshold-met), so primordia aren't established yet—check back in 2–3 days for that pop. Watch the next rain event; if you get even 0.5" in the next 48 hours, expect a flush that'll overwhelm productive patches. Hot tip: Prioritize wood-decay polypores (Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk, Red-Belted Conk) in high-elevation oak and birch stands—they fruit longer and harder when moisture holds this steady, and mid-July is peak harvest window before August heat stress.

Generated by Claude (Anthropic) from the structured weather, soil, and phenology data on this page. The LLM can misread edge cases — treat this as a starting hypothesis, not a guarantee. Always verify conditions on the ground before committing to a long drive.

Foraging Potential95/100

✅Moisture

✅Soil Temp

✅No Freeze

✅No Drought

Precip 7d

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Nearby Camping

Within(4)

Stonecoal Dispersed Camping

developed

~1.9 mi from center

East Fork Campground & Horse Hotel

developed

~5.4 mi from centerFee required/night

watertoiletshower

Reserve →

MIDDLE MOUNTAIN CABINS

developed

USFS~6.6 mi from center

Reserve →

Island Campground

developed

USFS~8.4 mi from center

Monongahela National Forest

⚠ Road Access Notice

Always verify road access is public before following GPS directions to mountain areas. Many forest roads are seasonal, gated, or require 4WD. Dispersed camping follows USFS/BLM rules (typically 14-day limit). Check ranger district offices for current road and campground conditions.

Viable Species

Confidence × Primordia state

HIGHPrimed

Chicken of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 5/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

MODERATEActivating

Black Trumpet

soil warming up (62°F today, only 4/7 days above threshold — mycelium activating, primordia not yet established), today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Giant Puffball

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Reishi

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Bolete

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Crown-Tipped Coral

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Panther Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Parasol Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Shaggy Parasol

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bird's Nest Fungus

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Cinnabar Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Berkeley's Polypore

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Capped Scaber Stalk

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Old Man of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Frost's Bolete

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Horse Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Two-Colored Bolete

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Smooth Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Caesar's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The Prince

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Weeping Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green-Gill Lepiota

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter Bolete

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken-Fat Bolete

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The Sickener

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Cracked Russula

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Peppery Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Alcohol Inky

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow-Stainer

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Northern Tooth

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ivory Funnel

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 6/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dog Vomit Slime Mold

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fluted Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Scaly Wood Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dung Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ovoid-Spore Psilocybe

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Blue-Foot Psilocybe

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ravenel's Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 5/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dune Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 5/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Elegant Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 5/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Lantern Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 62°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.32 — moisture sustained)

Primordia readiness: Cold = mycelium dormant. Activating = soil warming, primordia building. Primed = 5+ sustained warm days at species threshold; fruiting imminent if moisture cooperates. Based on Schmidt 1983 / Mihail 2007.