Wild weather good for mushrooms By CHRISTIANA WIENS LOCAL MUSHROOM buyers and nickers are look- ving to the skies in hopes that rain and clouds will benefit ‘this year's pine mushroom ;CTOp.. > But the truth is, no one ‘knows for sure, ; “The indications are that “we should have a good or ‘decent crop this year,’’ said “Toe. Nadeau, president of ‘Pondordsa Mushrooms and “Specially Foods in Van- scouver. ““But I’m nervous ‘— it’s been a very strange — : “fnshroom year,”? :~ Nadeau, who purchases 12 different varieties of ‘mushrooms including pine ‘and lobster mushrooms ‘from dealers up and down the B.C. coast credits El Nino for year's stock. - He says pine mushrooms ‘grow best in wildly fluctuat- ing weather conditions from ‘freezing cold rains to bot, -ground-drying heat. '. “The more wild it is the - better,’’ he said. By checking out his an- nual ‘mushroom logs, ‘Nadeau said last year’s pine y season started the second “week of August and peaked ‘in early October. This year’s ‘‘first flush,’” -known for it’s worminess, ‘started about a week later ,than last season and are ‘coming in 30 to 40 per cent worm-ridden, “‘That’s typical,’’? Nadeau :Baid, *. Still, prices slarted at $8 a pound last year, while this year’s crop is coming in at $12'to $15 for a grade one mushroom, At the height of mushroom season fast year, pickers garnered anywhere from $50 to $85 per pound. womning last JOHN WILSON holds up two pine mushrooms picked in the Terrace area. Local pickers and buyers are hoping early rains will mean an abundant crop, when the season peaks later this fall, “It looks alittle healthicr,”' be said, adding it’s really to early to tell what the fluctuating Japa- nese market will offer. “It’s all supply and demand,’” he said. ‘“‘Histori- cally, we never sel] for more than the Korean or Chinese market.’ And, Nadeau said, even the Asian market can be hard to read. While floods may have decreased the supply of Chinese stock, Japanese im- porters consider North American mushrooms a third or fourth class mushroom, he said. That means, if the Chinese supply is down, the price each Chinese pine mushroom earns will rise. That hike, then buoys the price of North American pines accordingly. That's all a factor of market share, he added, be- cause Chinese dealers may ship from 30 to 50 tonnes a day. By comparison, Canada only exports about 10 _ tonnes of pine mushrooms a day, which, then sequires the Chinese supply to be drastically affected before North American prices will rise substantially, Local buyers secm to share Nadeau’s skeptism, Jackie Penner, of Jackie's Depot on Greig Avenue, hasn’t really noticed a dif- ference in mushroom quantity or quality this year, She opened Aug. 15 — about the same time of year as last year, Her prices, so far, are con- sistent with last year — tanging from $12 to. $25 per pound, depending on the demand in Korea and Japan. “That’s pretty normal for this time of year,’’ Penner said. Penner estimated al] of the Terrace-area pickers have so far been bringing in about 50 pounds of pine mushrooms a day — a minuscule amount for the 10 buyers set up here in mid- August. “There are more mushroom buyers than pick- ers right now,”? she said, ad- ding most buyers set up ear- ly in anticipation for the late September peak when 15 to : chanterelle 20 buyers from across the province pitch buyers tents in Terrace. But at Icast one local buyer is looking at the clouds with optimism. “If they are there, they are going to grow,”’ predicts the buyer who operates Fren- chy’s at the Hwy 37 junc- tion in Thornhill. He buys everything from and — boletus mushrooms to orange lob- ster mushrooms, buying more common species at $4 per pound. But, he admits, business is slow, with most customers checking in only to famil- iarize themselves with what to hunt for. “Most people — I only see them once,’’ he said. Rezoning paves way for value-added plant “RICHMOND-based Classic District Saturday when board mem- areca, years in the nearby Kleanza Creek plant in Richmond. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 25, 1999 - A3 “Doormart has cleared all the major «hurdles to its plans to build a saw- “mill and wood products plant in ‘Thomhill. “ The company has a deal to buy a >four-heclare property at the eastern ‘edge of Thornhill from Terrace ~Wade Contracting Ltd. ~ Ard the plans got a green light “from the Kitimat Stikine Regional bers agreed to rezone the property io resource industrial, a new zone created for the plant. Rezoning bylaws introduced Sat- urday likely won't get final adop- tion ‘until after a public hearing Sept 21. Classic Doormart has also signed a small business forest licence to log 255,000 cubic metres over five Approved early this year, the company had been holding off signing the licence until it was sure it had a property deal and a wood- trading agreement with a major licencee, The mill would produce partially manufactured wood to then supply to Classic’s door and window parts Plans indicate plant operations here would include whole log storage, sawmilling, dry kila, planer and remanufacturing for fin- - ger jointing blocks for door and window frames, . At least 12 jobs would be created by the new mill. Construction could begin as early as this fall. News In Brief Carwash safety debated REGIONAL district of Kitimat-Stikine directors want the provincial highways minister to discuss the safety of driving narrow and winding section of Hwy16 west, known as Carwash rock. ‘*] just don’t think he pets it,’? said Terrace director Rich McDanicl after a string of correspondence from between the board and the B.C, bighways minister. In a letter to the district, Lali says the accident rate along the protruding rock compares favourably with thal of the rest of the Terrace-Prince Rupert highway. “This may be attributed to signs thai warn drivers of the narrow road alignment, and the remedial work un- dertaken to.remove portions of the rock face and install wire mesh to prevent ice fall,’’ wrote Lali. Lali also implicd more extensive work to that section of highway may damage salmon habilat, Top marks again TRAVEL COUNSELLORS at the chamber of com- merce’s tourism infocentre surpassed their previous 96 per cent rating in a second check of their capabililics of providing friendly and efficient service, This time, the secret checker, employed by the provincial tourism ministry, gave them a 98 per cent rating, says Maria McGowan of the Terrace Tourism Council. “He was just thrilled,”* said McGowan of the check- er. Provincial tourism officials conduct two checks each summer at the more than 100 infocentres in B.C, The first round of scores have yet to be tablulated so it isn’t known if the first 96 per cent score is the high- est in the province, Caution urged DRIVERS are being urged to use more caution at the intersection of Eby St. and Lazelle Ave. Northbound traffic there is supposed to stop there for the next few weeks during the reconstruction of Eby St. “TL appears most people aren’t aware of the stop sign heading north on Eby St. and proceed right through,”’ says cily councillor Linda Hawes, adding she’s wit- nessed several tear-misses. We're hoping we can make people more aware that the traffic pattern bas changed,’” she added, initiative questioned REGIONAL DISTRICT of Kitimat Stikine directors are slanming a U.S.-based conservation initiatitive that would connect national parks from Yellowstone Na- tional Park in the U.S, to the Yukon, The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservalion Initiative hopes to set aside a continuous section of Rocky and Columbia mountain ranges in hopes of securing the long-tern survival of northern wildlife. Board members are calling the initiative ineffective, “There’s no way wildlife is going to go north- south,” said Thornhill director Les Watmough. Calling a letter of support by ex-premier Glen Clark *‘scary,”’ director Alice Maitland recommended the district write a,Letter. of, opposition. “It would point out, the iniliative’s lack of awareness of multiple land uses . in B.C, and lack-of local government consultation, “It also ignores the fact that B.C. is in the treaty pro- cess,’ Maitland said. teeny tw As Low As ° ARCTIC CAT ° KAWASAKI * SUZUKI Hurry in for this limited time offer. We're your place for prime prices, financ- ing and A.T.V.‘s Gear up now for the hunting season! MONTHS PAYMENTS FINANCING DOWN oa. ©@ per month vot Phone 635-3478 NEID ENTERPRISES LTD. Your Recreation Specialists 4921 Keith Ave., Terrace, B.C. Fax 635-5050 All 99 Cars & Trucks Check out the amazing prices clearly posted in the windows