In northeastern North America, the closely related mushroom Tricholoma magnivelare is generally found in Jack pine forests.

[10] The candy cane plant or sugarstick, Allotropa virgata, parasitizes these mushrooms by deriving nourishment from the fungal mycelia via its root system.

Matsutake are hard to find because of their specific growth requirements, the rarity of appropriate forest and terrain, and competition from wild animals such as squirrels, rabbits, and deer for the once-yearly harvest of mushrooms.

Domestic production of matsutake in Japan has also been sharply reduced over the latter half of the 20th century due to the pine-killing nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

The annual harvest of matsutake in Japan is now less than 1,000 tons, with the Japanese mushroom supply largely made up by imports from China, Korea, the Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and northern Europe.

Frozen or dried matsutake are less sought after than fresh ones in luxury markets, meaning that the international trade must be done at a quick pace to keep the mushrooms from decaying.