I love watching your videos. I grew up in Indiana and we were taught from a young age to never pull morel mushrooms up out of the ground. Instead, we carried pocket knives and cut the stems about an inch above the ground. It was important to leave the bottom of the stem in the ground where it would encourage new mushrooms to grow. I have no clue what modern beliefs on this are. Also the only mushrooms I’ve ever foraged are morels so I’m certainly not an expert.
Thank you! Generally there is that toss up of cutters or pickers, we do both, just depending, but from what I've learnt from experienced pickers is that its the exact same as pulling an apple off a tree instead of cutting the stem. Animals forage for mushrooms all the time and they dig them out of the ground, yet the mycelium keeps producing. I honestly do not think it matters as long as you're not digging up the mycelium to disturb the symbiotic relationship they have with the trees.