Foraging in Provincial Parks
What is Foraging?
Foraging is the activity of searching for, identifying, and gathering items (typically food) directly from their natural environment.
Why Forage?
Foraging has long been practiced by Indigenous peoples for food, medicine, and ceremony. Today, people from all backgrounds forage to collect wild edibles, learn about the land, and connect with nature. When done respectfully and sustainably, foraging can be a rewarding activity.
What Can be Foraged?
In Manitoba’s provincial parks, anyone can forage small amounts of berries, mushrooms and nuts for personal use, without a permit, provided the species are not protected under federal or provincial law.
Manitoba Parks recognizes and supports the rights of Indigenous peoples to conduct traditional activities on provincial park lands. Indigenous peoples are welcome to harvest products for personal use for food, medicine or ceremonial activities.
Commercial harvest of products (intended for trade, barter or sale) requires a permit.
How Can I Forage Responsibly?
Sustainable harvesting means taking only what you need and doing so in a way that leaves the ecosystem thriving.
To help ensure that your foraging activities in provincial parks are safe and sustainable for future generations, use these guidelines:
Plan Ahead:
- Make sure you have the knowledge to correctly identify what you are gathering.
- Be aware, many species of berries and mushrooms can be poisonous. Use caution and know what you can safely collect and consume.
- Ensure that your field gear is clean before entering forests to prevent spread of invasive seeds or plant debris.
Be Intentional:
- Pick berries and nuts gently, by hand without breaking branches, or pulling leaves.
- Cut mushrooms at the base rather than pulling them out. Carry them in a basket or mesh bag while transporting them through the forest– this allows the mushroom to release spores and grow in future years.
- Do not remove whole plants, soil, bark, or roots.
Be Respectful:
- Whether you are harvesting berries, mushrooms, and nuts for personal use, or practicing Indigenous rights-based foraging for traditional or ceremonial foods, medicines, and other items, you are expected to respect the lands within parks.
- Do not remove large quantities of berries, mushrooms or nuts from an area - leave plenty behind for wildlife to enjoy, and to support regeneration of the resource.
- Avoid trampling surrounding vegetation.
A permit is required for all commercial harvest in provincial parks. Additional activity restrictions that impact access and ability to forage may be in place in specific provincial parks. When in doubt, please contact the local Manitoba Parks office.
