Shawnee National Forest

Plant Collecting
Personal plant collection is allowed on National Forest lands except for designated Wilderness and Natural Areas. Commercial plant collecting is restricted and requires obtaining a permit from the Shawnee National Forest Supervisors Office. Collection of endangered, threatened, or rare species is prohibited. A permit is required to gather some plants such as Lycopodium.

Mushrooms
There are many types of mushrooms, some edible, some inedible but not poisonous and some that are poisonous. A new mushroom hunter should first go out with veteran mushroom hunters and study mushroom books in order not to mistakenly pick and eat the wrong mushrooms. Also, as even some edible mushrooms may induce indigestion if large quantities are consumed, it is recommended that only small quantities of edible mushrooms be consumed by the beginning mushroomer.

NUTS AND BERRIES

One can get an especially good feeling from berry picking. It is inexpensive; it can be a family activity that becomes a yearly tradition; and later, after enjoying a sunny afternoon in the woods, you get to literally "enjoy the fruits of your labors." No permit is needed to pick berries on the Shawnee National Forest, but berries must be picked for personal use only, not marketed commercially.

Blackberries
These are upright or arching shrubs that have prickly stems and 3 or 5 leaflets. The fruit is black and the flowers are white. The fruit is ripe during parts of June and July. Large numbers of blackberry shrubs can be found in wildlife openings, next to wildlife ponds and next to dirt roads.

Grapes
Grape vines are common in the Forest. The grape is a thornless vine that may become very large in its later years. Usually, the largest vines no longer produce fruit. Grapes are not found in pine stands or in cleared areas but in native hardwood stands. Wild grapes are not as sweet or as large as cultivated grapes, but can occur in great numbers and bunches making up for the lack of size.

Hickory Nuts
There are significant numbers of hickory trees throughout the Forest, but squirrels are a major source of competition for the nuts. Do not gather nuts from the bitternut or water hickory since they have bitter nuts.

Walnuts
There are several plantations that the Forest Service has planted, but most of these are not old enough to be producing yet. Mainly found at old house sites where earlier residents planted them.

Beechnuts
American Beech is found in greatest numbers in the hollows and valleys, especially if there is a dependable stream nearby.

Persimmons
The persimmon tree is a medium-sized tree with distinctive dark bark, usually in the pattern of small, squeamish blocks. The leaves are yellowish and drop off fairly quickly in the autumn. The fruit is very bitter when not ripe and causes the mouth to "pucker up". In this area, the fruit becomes ripe anywhere from late September through October. It does not require a frost to be sweet and ripe; although a frost will speed the ripening process up. If the fruit has fallen off the tree on its own accord without a storm knocking it off, it will be ripe enough to eat. The fruit can be ripe when it is orange and soft, and as it becomes more ripe, it will turn purplish. It has several seeds inside the fruit. The persimmon tree likes the "edge effect", being next to open fields but on the edge of the woods. Many times trees will be found bordering cleared areas and in brushy fields. They can also be found in or very near most developed recreation areas.

FIREWOOD
A permit is required to gather firewood.