Non-Wood Forest Products
The list below shows the more common non-wood forest products available on the Bitterroot National Forest. A permit may be required for certain individual activities that occur on the Forest. For further information or clarification on whether your activity falls under personal use or commercial use please contact your local forest service office.
Edible Material
No permit is required for recreational berry picking.
Depending on the year - Free Use and/or Commercial Use mushroom harvesting permits may be offered by the Forest. The mushroom season will vary somewhat with local weather and site conditions.
No permit is required for Incidental Use harvesting, up to five gallons per season (approximately 2 grocery bags).
Ornamental Permits - Incidental Free Use
10 bushels or less.
Less than 500 lbs. - about a pickup load.
Products such as snowberry, willows, dogwood, and beargrass. The approval of the Forest Botanist is required prior to permit issuance.
Less than 1000 lbs., about a pick up load. Usually the request is for decorative uses such as landscape projects, furniture, railings and walking sticks. If near a stream, the forest Hydrologist or Fisheries Biologist needs to approve of prior to issuance.
Plant Permits - Incidental Free Use
Must be less than 2' in height and limited to 10 per permit. Seedlings cannot be removed from plantation stands unless approval is given by District personnel. Additionally, seedlings cannot be removed from recreation areas (campgrounds, picnic areas, or trailheads), riparian areas or from within areas that have been rehabilitated due to fire.
Rock Collection Permits
This rock collecting area, located nearly 13 miles up Ambrose Creek on the Stevensville Ranger District, is open from June 15 – October 30 depending upon snow and road conditions. Material from this area is light to dark gray quartzite (metamorphosed sandstone composed of greater than 90% quartz), massive, bedded and interbedded with argillite (a weakly metamorphosed rock derived from mudstone or shale). In some instances, the rocks are coated with iron oxides (reddish lines); dendritic (crystallized in a branching pattern), manganese oxide (bluish black squiggly lines), manganese oxides (blue-black coatings), and lichens. White quartz veining and occasionally ripple marks are found. The size of the rock varies from 6" to 4'. Typical use of this rock is for personal landscaping, rock fence and fireplace. There is a maximum of 5 tons per individual per year. There is no charge for the permit.
Permits are available at any Bitterroot National Forest office.
This rock collecting area, located 1-mile up Railroad Creek on the Darby Ranger District, is generally open from April 1 through October 30 depending upon snow and road conditions. Material from this area is hard quartzite and its appearance is angular medium dark gray rock with moss. The size of the rock varies from 6" to 4'. Typical use of this rock is for landscaping, rock fence and fireplace. There is a minimum 1 ton with a maximum of 5 tons per individual per year. There is no charge for the permit.
Permits are available at any Bitterroot National Forest office.