RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Did you know that Virginia is home to a whopping 200,000 wild mushroom species, according to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services?
With this abundance in mind, it’s important to know where you can freely forage for your own wild mushrooms, and where it is not allowed.
According to the Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR), “public lands such as National Forests and DWR Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are open for foraging.”
However, DWR further said, “to forage on a WMA, you need an access permit, valid Virginia hunting, fishing, or trapping license or boat registration, or a Restore the Wild membership. On WMAs, berry picking and gathering of mushrooms and other fruits is allowed for personal use only. Gathering for commercial purposes is prohibited.”
In addition to these lands, the National Park Service (NPS) has said that, “as with fruit, small amounts of edible mushrooms may be collected for personal use.”
Although, in many national parks, including Shenandoah National Park, however, collecting or disturbing inedible mushrooms is prohibited.
The NPS further noted that “many mushrooms are poisonous and should not be eaten unless you are able to correctly identify the species and know that it is edible.” It is recommended you take a field guide with you to identify which mushrooms are safe to eat.
To summarize, Virginians can forage on National Forests, on WMAs, — though with an access permit or license — and can forage small amounts of edible mushrooms from national parks.
