Quantity collected, edibility, fines… The practical guide to successful mushroom picking

Harvesting may be prohibited in departments or municipalities to preserve a species and limit pressure on the natural environment. Several precautions should be taken before getting started.

With the help of autumn… the mushrooms return. The picking season is open and promises lovers of this seasonal product a fruitful harvest after several well-watered months, except in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Although this activity is practiced in the great outdoors, there are several rules to respect. Shooting the flower in the woods poses a risk of poisoning or fines. Franceinfo draws up the guide to getting started in mushroom picking.

Do I need to request authorization?

If you plan to go to a private forest (i.e. 3/4 of the woods in France), you must ask permission from its owner. Because unlike game, “Wild mushrooms belong by right to the owner of the land”recalls the National Center for Forest Property (CNPF). Furthermore, it is not obligatory to prohibit access by a sign or fences, specifies the CNPF. If you start picking without authorization, you risk a fine of 750 euros.

With regard to public forests, known as state forests, picking is authorized without prior request if “it remains within the framework of family consumption and if the samples are reasonable”explains the National Forestry Office (ONF).

Do all departments authorize picking?

Each department is free to regulate mushroom picking. It may be prohibited by prefectural or municipal decree to preserve fungus and limit pressure on the natural environment. For example, in the national forests of Manche, Calvados and Orne, it is not possible to collect mushrooms on Tuesdays and Thursdays, explains the ONF.

Also pay attention to natural parks and protected areas. The Environmental Code “strictly prohibits the picking of mushrooms when a particular scientific interest or the needs of preserving biological heritage justify their conservation”points out the CNPF. This is the case in Savoie, where harvesting is not authorized in the heart of the Vanoise national park or around national nature reserves, according to the department.

It is therefore advisable to contact the town hall of the collection location to check the rules in force.

Can I pick as many mushrooms as I want?

No, there is a limit. In national forests, the collection must not exceed five liters per person per day, the equivalent of a basket, unless local regulations dictate otherwise. “Excessive picking as well as resale are formally prohibited and punished” with a fine of 135 euros, warns the ONF.

In private woods, the limit is set at 10 liters (two baskets). A superior harvest “can be punished with a fine of up to 45,000 euros and three years of imprisonment”assures the CNPF. In the event of aggravating circumstances (violence, degradation), the penalty can rise to a fine of 75,000 euros and five years in prison.

Are there any recommended places for harvesting?

An area filled with mushrooms must have been well watered, because “for there to be fruiting, that is to say for a mushroom to grow in the open air, there must be sufficient water”recalls Jean-Louis Raffaghello, head of the mycology section of the association of naturalists of Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, at 20 minutes.

The site chassesdechampignons.com used other parameters, such as the presence of trees, altitude or soil acidity to create paid interactive maps which indicate the best mushroom spots. For Marc-André Selosse, professor at the National Museum of Natural History, this system seems reliable, because the combination of these factors can create favorable environments for these plants, but does not guarantee a sure find either. “The determinism of the environment allows the growth of mushrooms, but does not impose it”he assures franceinfo.

How do you know if a mushroom is edible?

The mushroom with the red cap with white polka dots (or the fly agaric for those in the know) is not the only poisonous one. More than 400 mushroom poisonings have been recorded since July 1, 2024, warns the National Health Security Agency (ANSES), with a peak expected in October, like almost every year. They result from the “confusion of an edible species with a toxic species” or the “consumption of edible mushrooms in poor condition, poorly preserved or insufficiently cooked”specifies the agency.

To avoid such situations, ANSES makes several recommendations: only pick up mushrooms that you know, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycology association if in doubt, and above all, do not consume mushrooms identified by means of a recognition application on smartphone. “With nearly 30,000 species in France, we urge you to exercise the greatest caution,” adds the ONF.

Is there a recommended picking technique?

“Contrary to popular belief, you must pull out the entire mushroom, not cut it”explains the ONF. The stem of the mushroom contains important information (mycelial felt, shape of the base of the stem, pieces of wood, color, etc.) which allows its identification.” Without forgetting to respect the humus, “the layer of soil on the surface, essential to the life of the fungus”underlines the forestry organization. “Do not remove large clumps by taking a mushroom, do not turn the earth around”he lists.

Finally, the ONF invites you to collect only adult-sized mushrooms in good condition and to leave the smallest and old ones, or those that are damaged, on site.