Mykotop

Botenstoff

About this app

It's not about where mushrooms grow—it's about where the conditions are right.

Mykotop rates Germany's forest areas based on how well the local conditions suit the needs of individual mushroom species. It uses five levels, from "Top Conditions" to "Unsuitable," and provides a complete breakdown of the factors used to determine each rating.

What the app deliberately avoids is predicting whether mushrooms will grow. Whether a mycelium produces fruit depends on factors that no grid captures. What it does is lay the groundwork—using tree species mapping, soil pH, soil moisture, precipitation, temperature, and topography to create a well-founded pre-selection before you start foraging.

THE MAP

• Assessed forest areas nationwide, in five color-coded levels

• Tapping opens the area map: candidate species by suitability, forest type, tree species proportions, all input values ​​with source and data status

• Location bars for each area showing season, temperature, soil pH, soil moisture, precipitation, slope, and elevation

• Switchable calculation rule: suitability of the five best species or average across all assessed species

• Location search with data filter, location display, route guidance to the area via Apple Maps or Google Maps

• Protected areas marked with a dashed line, with a general note on possible restrictions

THE VARIABLES

• Each data source can be individually enabled and disabled

• If only one source is active, the map displays its data instead of suitability—tree species, soil moisture, precipitation, or pH with its own legend

• Optionally, the tree species map from the DLR Earth Observation Center or the Thünen Institute, including the differences in the map design

• Weather history windows: 7, 14, 30, 60 days, or one Year

SEASON AND SPECIES

• Monthly progression for each species based on dated records — observed phenology, explicitly marked as such and not as suitability

• Suitability curves for each species for temperature, soil pH, soil moisture, and precipitation, with the current month highlighted

• Species catalog with 19 species, 16 of which are included in the map assessment

• Characteristics according to cap, underside, stem, flesh, odor, habitat, and toxicity; Similar species with distinguishing features, poisonous ones marked in red

• Legal collection status according to the Federal Nature Conservation Act and the Federal Species Protection Ordinance, listed as an attribute of the species

MY AREA

• Save areas — with level, candidate, location name, and data status

• Create locations: point or area, species, note, and up to four photos

• All suitability data is stored on the device: the map works without a mobile network connection

• Find a mushroom expert via the DGfM expert map

WHAT THE ASSESSMENT IS BASED ON

Tree species maps from the DLR Earth Observation Center using Sentinel remote sensing at a resolution of ten meters, soil moisture, precipitation, and temperature grids from the German Meteorological Service, soil reaction from SoilGrids, terrain model from the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy. Calculations are performed on a 100-meter grid. All sources are listed with license, citation, and data status in the imprint.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

The weighting of the variables is based on expert judgment, not on statistical calibration at collection sites—according to Bovee's classification, a Category I suitability curve. This is stated in the app, where it matters. Likewise, the limitations of the input data are explained: The soil moisture data from the weather service is modeled for grass and standard soils, not for the stand under the canopy, and tree species maps show a reference level that may have been overtaken by natural disasters.

The feature descriptions are descriptions, not identification keys. The app does not provide edibility assessments. Only collect what you can identify with absolute certainty—if in doubt, consult a mushroom expert.

With this app, you can take your forest experience to a new level and use quantitative analysis methods to identify and explore the best mushroom spots in your region.

Happy foraging!

What’s new

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