Mushroom logs are one of the many ways to grow mushrooms in a controlled outdoor environment. Logs have the advantages of (1) needing almost no preparatory work, (2) being very easy to care for, and (3) being scalable. Generally, mushroom logs need little more than time and occasional water to start producing.
The diameter range that works best for log inoculation is between 4″ and 8.” 3-4 feet long.
Most cultivated species, like oysters and shiitake, grow on hardwood logs from deciduous trees such as maple, oak, and alder. A few cultivated species, such as Hericium abietis, grow on coniferous trees. The logs you inoculate must be from a tree that has freshly fallen or been recently cut down.