Mushrooms | Salal ("Brocha") | Firewood | Wild Berries | Christmas Trees

What are Special Forest Products?

Non-timber forest products, or special forest products, include foods such as plants, wild edible mushrooms, fruits and nuts; medicinal plants and fungi; floral greenery and horticultural stock; fiber, oil resins, and other chemical extracts from plants, lichens, and fungi; as well as fuelwood and small diameter wood used for poles, posts, and carvings. Special forest products are a vital part of local and regional economies in the Pacific Northwest and many products hold significant cultural value which represents a long history of ecological knowledge and local use.

Personal and Commercial Use permits are required in order to gather many special forest products. Permits may require a fee payment and must be obtained from Forest Service offices. Availability may vary by season and district office.

Safety guidelines:

Safety Recommendations; Recomendaciones de Seguridad

Mushroom Picking

Commercial use permit: A permit is required for commercial picking of mushrooms on national forest land. Prices are: $50.00 for 50 gallons - a 14 day permit, $80.00 for 80 gallons - a 30 day permit, or $120.00 for 120 gallons - a calendar year permit. A Commercial Use Permit is required for any individual intending to sell the mushrooms, or harvesting more than the daily three (3) gallon multiple species limit.

Make an appointment to buy a permit at your nearest Forest Service district office.

Personal use: 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. For multiple species, the daily limit is three (3) species, (1) gallon each. Harvested chanterelle mushrooms must have a cap diameter of one inch or greater. You may not sell or trade mushrooms gathered with a personal use permit.

Review Olympic National Forest mushroom picking information (PDF File - 1 mb)

Forest Greenery - Salal ("Brocha")

Forest greenery products include salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape, and sword fern. Review information about harvesting forest greenery (PDF)

Commercial use permit: Salal is the only greenery for which commercial use permits are available. Read about the Olympic National Forest salal harvest lottery.

Olympic National Forest Salal Permit Sale Dates: September 4, 2019; November 13, 2019; January 8, 2020; March 11, 2020.

Salal permitir ventas comienzan en el Bosque Nacional Olympic: 4 de septiembre de 2019; 13 de noviembre de 2019; 8 de enero de 2020; 11 de marzo de 2020.

Salal Maps: Download Salal harvest area geo-referenced PDF maps below. They are not a replacement for a more detailed way-finding map.

Personal use permit: Salal, huckleberry, Oregon grape, rhododendrons, and sword fern are among the native plants that may be harvested for personal use with a permit. Contact your local forest service office to find out how to obtain a free permit.

Personal Use Firewood Permits

Olympic National Forest Supervisor’s Office is open Monday-Friday to sell passes and permits & more from 10am-2pm, (360) 956-2402.

Firewood Permit Requirements (.pdf).

Permits are subject to wood availability.

Firewood harvesting maps; Los mapas para la cosecha de leña :

Wild Berries

At Olympic National Forest, berry picking season begins in July and extends through September. Review information about the many kinds of wild berries available (PDF).

Commercial Use Permits: Commercial use permits are not available for wild berries. Commercial use of Olympic National Forest wild berries is not permitted.

Personal Use: Personal use is free and permissible. Berries may be consumed while visiting the Olympic National Forest. A person may pick up to one gallon of berries per day and up to three gallons of berries per year but these berries may not be sold or bartered. Please contact any forest office with questions.

Christmas Tree Permits

Christmas Tree permits go on sale in November. Permits are $5.00 each and are good for one U-cut tree on the Olympic National Forest. Permits may be purchased at any Olympic National Forest office. Credit cards are now accepted as well as cash and checks.

See office locations/hours.

Every 4th Grader Can Receive a Free Christmas Tree Cutting Permit!

Every Kid in a Park initiative is offering one free Holiday Tree permit to fourth-graders that have a valid 4th Grade Interagency Pass. These free Holiday Tree permits are only available at U.S. Forest Service District offices.

back to top