Harvest Rules

Each public land agency within Washington State has their own rules regarding harvesting mushrooms for personal use. Additionally, different regions under a jurisdiction may have different rules.

The following list covers the major agencies whose lands we use, and their rules as of 10/4/2009. The list is not guaranteed to be accurate, and is meant as a guideline.

If you have any doubts about the rules for a given harvest area, please contact the relevant agency and district. Inquire about access, permits, limits, seasons and any other special rules. Note that rules for commercial harvesting are entirely different.

This list was engendered by the much more thorough list from the Puget Sound Mycological Society's web site, and focuses on our harvest areas.

• Olympic National Park: 1 quart per day
  "Edible fruits, berries, nuts and the fruiting bodies of mushrooms may be collected by hand for personal consumption except within 200 ft. of nature trails, special trails and natural study areas. The total quantity of edible fruits, berries, mushrooms or nuts that may be possessed is limited to 1 quart per person."
• Olympic National Forest: 1 gallon per species, 3 gallons total per day
  "No permit is required for incidental gathering of mushrooms for personal use. For a single species, the daily limit for personal use is one (1) gallon or, when it's a large-sized mushroom, one mushroom, whichever is greater. For multiple species, the daily limit is three (3) species, one (1) gallon each... Harvested chanterelle mushrooms must have a cap diameter of one inch or greater... Use of tools other than a knife or scissors is prohibited."
• Wenatchee National Forest: 3 gallons per day
  Naches District (White Pass) & Cle Elum District (Blewitt Pass): "...up to 3 gallons of mushrooms per day for personnel use. Harvesting Matsutake (Pine) mushrooms always requires a permit.
• Washington State Parks: 2 gallons per day
  "The recreational harvest, possession, or transport of... mushrooms... is allowed up to an amount of two gallons per person per day, unless otherwise posted at the park. The harvest amount may be comprised of one or more species... No harvest of... mushrooms is allowed within a natural area preserve... Harvest techniques that involve raking or other techniques that have the potential to degrade park natural or cultural resources are prohibited.
• Washington State DNR: 5 gallons per species per day
  "A specialized forest products permit validated by the county sheriff shall be obtained by a person prior to... harvesting from any lands, including his or her own... more than five United States gallons of a single species of wild edible mushroom."
• Kitsap County Parks: "Reasonable amounts"
  There are no ordanances prohibiting personal mushroom harvesting in Kitsap Co. parks for personal use. You may not harvest commercially or remove plants, animals, minerals, etc.
• Washington State Law: 5 gallons per species per day
  "A specialized forest products permit validated by the county sheriff shall be obtained by a person... more than five United States gallons of a single species of wild edible mushroom... authorizing the harvesting, possession, or transportation of specialized forest products..."
• Mushroom Etiquette: 1) Respect private property! 2) Pick only two-thirds of the mushrooms you find. Do not collect mushrooms from previously harvested areas; leave the rest for spores and food for wildlife. 3) Minimize the impacts to the actual fungus by not disturbing the ground habitat. This means do not use rakes, dogs, pigs or other methods to dig mushrooms. Use a knife to cut the mushroom to minimize the impact to the fungus.