Huckleberry season is now open in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest for those with the proper permit.
Free permits for personal consumption are available for pickers to remove up to one gallon of berries per day and a total of three gallons per year. Berries obtained under that permit may not be sold.
To apply for a free berry permit, visit https://gp.fs2c.usda.gov/gp/. Print permits or save them to a mobile device, along with conditions and a map of the locations open to berry collection.
Some important areas on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest closed to all berry removal include the legislated Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, all legislated wildernesses and the “Handshake Agreement” area of Sawtooth Berry Fields.
Beginning Monday, Aug. 8, commercial charge use berry permits will be available for purchase at ranger district offices and the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument Headquarters through walk-up service windows. Check the forest website for locations and hours of operation https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/giffordpinchot/about-forest/offices.
Commercial use permits cost $60 for 14 consecutive days, or $105 for the season. Rakes or mechanical devices to remove berries are not permitted.
Maps are issued with permits indicating areas open or closed to charge use permit collection. The map can also be viewed online for free by uploading the Avenza app and searching for and uploading “Gifford Pinchot NF – Special Forest Products Map.” Permittees may camp for up to 14 days, but not within any area closed to charge use berry collection.
Garbage and human waste must be contained and removed from the forest.
Under Washington state law, berry buyers and sellers must document their sales transactions. For more details, visit the forest’s permits page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/giffordpinchot/passes-permits/forestproducts. Violation of any regulation for berry permits is subject to a citation and fine.
For the safety of all forest users, berry harvesters are asked not to park vehicles in the roadway. Parking in some developed recreation sites requires a Northwest Forest Pass.
Forest managers remind the public to be careful with fire. Never leave a campfire unattended. If it's too hot to touch, it's too hot to leave. Always check for current fire conditions or restrictions on the Forest's Fire Information web page at www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/giffordpinchot/home/?cid=fseprd593760&width=full.
