The gathering of Forest products for personal use, such as mushrooms, posts & poles, rocks etc. is FREE through the remainder of 2020, but some will require a hard copy personal use permit. For details, call your local Ranger Station, listed to the left.
People enjoy collecting mushrooms, berries, seedlings and other items from National Forest land.
In order become familiar with the rules, it is always best to check with the Idaho Panhandle National Forest before gathering/collecting items from Forest land.
All plants on National Forest Service lands, from tiny lichens to the largest trees, belong to the American Public. Just as the Forest Service sells timber, harvesting plant materials that are of value must be purchased for a fair market value with the proceeds going to the U.S. Treasury. Permits are sometimes required to provide guidelines for appropriate collection, make collectors aware of any restrictions in collecting and to display the appropriate fee.
Please click on the following product headings to learn more.
Berries and other plant materials
Huckleberries and morel mushrooms are prized wild foods on the IPNF. There is no fee required for recreational picking of berries, or collecting other plant material like beargrass, but some areas may have special restrictions in place. There may be limits on the amount that you collect. It is always best to check with the local Ranger District or Supervisor's Office before gathering or collecting items from the Forest.
Commercial gathering of huckleberries and commercial harvesting of mushrooms is NOT permitted on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
Mushroom Harvesting
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests is requiring mushroom harvesting permitsin order to appropriately manage mushroom harvesting activities, monitor use, and protect resources. A personal use permit is only required for harvesters picking more than one gallon of mushrooms per day up to five gallons in a season. Mushrooms may be harvested anywhere in your National Forest unless otherwise restricted. Each Ranger District will have specific information on any area closures or restrictions. Permits will be available at Forest Service offices. Read more...
What type of permit do I need?
The type of permit you need depends on if you intend to:
Harvest less than one gallon a day and no more than five gallons per season
Harvest up to 5 gallons a day and up to 20 gallons per season
Sell Mushrooms
Permit Not Required.
This is considered "incidental" use.
Personal Use (Free) Permit
Each person over the age of 12* are required to obtain a free use permit if they are gathering more than the “incidental” amounts.
Commercial Use Not Authorized
Reselling of harvested mushrooms is prohibited.**
*Minors (12 and under) may assist in the collection of mushrooms, but must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or sponsoring adult and have their permit in possession.
**Resale of the mushrooms is prohibited. In order to distinguish personal or incidental use from commercial collecting, all mushrooms must be sliced in half length-wise from stem to cap before leaving the harvest area.
No permit is required if your collecting will cause little or no surface disturbance (e.g., gold panning - dry wash or manual pan, or rock-hounding). More extensive operations will require permitting and/or operation plans. Read our Rock-hounding on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests brochure (pdf) for more complete guidelines and information.
People enjoy collecting mushrooms, berries, seedlings and other items from National Forest land.
Berries and other plant materials
The Idaho Panhandle National Forests is requiring mushroom harvesting permits in order to appropriately manage mushroom harvesting activities, monitor use, and protect resources. A personal use permit is only required for harvesters picking more than one gallon of mushrooms per day up to five gallons in a season. Mushrooms may be harvested anywhere in your National Forest unless otherwise restricted. Each Ranger District will have specific information on any area closures or restrictions. Permits will be available at Forest Service offices.