Chanterelles, Morels and More: Here’s What You Need to Know Before Picking Mushrooms on the Klamath National Forest

Press release from the Klamath National Forest Service:

Chanterelle mushrooms [Stock photo by Owain.davies, sourced from Wikimedia Commons] 

The Klamath National Forest invites the public to enjoy mushroom collecting on the forest, where a variety of edible mushrooms — including morels, chanterelles, shaggy mane, puffballs, boletes and oyster mushrooms — can be found throughout Siskiyou County.

When mushroom collecting, make sure you know before you go. Some mushrooms can be dangerous. Never collect a mushroom you aren’t sure is safe.

Permits Required for Mushroom Collecting 

You may collect up to one gallon of mushrooms per day for personal use without a permit, with a yearly limit of five gallons. To help protect forest resources and support sustainable harvesting, a permit is required for any commercial collecting or for personal collection exceeding the five-gallon annual limit.

$20 Permit: Collect up to 8 gallons over four consecutive days.

$50 Permit: Collect up to 20 gallons over 30 consecutive days; additional days may be purchased for $5 per day.

$100 Seasonal Permit: Collect up to 40 gallons during the season.

Permits are available at Forest Service offices in Yreka (1711 South Main Street), Happy Camp (63822 Highway 96), Macdoel (37805 Highway 97), and Fort Jones (11263 N. Highway 3). Please note that permits are now issued at the Supervisor’s Office in Yreka.

Each permit includes specific conditions and restrictions designed to promote responsible and sustainable harvesting. Permit holders are responsible for reviewing and complying with these guidelines.

For more information about mushroom harvesting, camping, or fire restrictions, contact your local ranger district or visit www.fs.usda.gov/r05/klamath/offices.

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About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has, for more than 100 years, brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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