Can you pick berries and mushrooms in someone else's forest?
You can — and it surprises foragers and forest owners alike. The Forest Law provides that a forest's non-timber values — wild berries, fruit, nuts, mushrooms and medicinal plants — may be gathered by anyone at their own discretion, unless the owner has imposed restrictions. That applies to private forests too, and no permission need be asked in advance. But the owner does have the right to forbid it: he may fence off the land or put up clearly visible signs around the whole property. And that is the dividing line: if there are no signs and no fence, you may forage; if there are, you may not. Where access is restricted, marking the boundary with clear warning notices is the owner's duty — not yours to guess at.
📋 The rules
- Berries and mushrooms may be gathered at your discretion
- Including in a private forest
- Unless there are signs or a fence
- Signs must be around the whole property
- Marking the boundary is the owner's duty
🔓 Exceptions
- Specially protected nature areas may have their own, stricter rules
- Gathering protected plants and fungi may be banned regardless of the owner
- Driving into a forest is a separate question from the right to forage
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The practical test is simple: look for a sign. The Forest Law does not prescribe an exact form of sign, so in practice it is usually “Private property” together with a crossed-out figure of a person, or a “No entry” sign. If there are no such signs and the forest is not fenced, you are breaking nothing, and an owner telling you to leave has no legal basis for it. But if there are, entering becomes an interference with property rights, and the owner can call the police. Two further limits people forget: specially protected nature areas may have their own rules, and gathering protected species of plants or fungi may be banned outright, even where foraging as such is allowed. And driving in by car is a separate question from the right to be there on foot.
📎 Official sources
❓ Frequently asked
May I pick mushrooms in a private forest?
You may, provided the owner has not imposed restrictions. The Forest Law allows wild berries, mushrooms, nuts and medicinal plants to be gathered at your own discretion, including on private land, without asking permission.
How can the owner forbid it?
By fencing the land or putting clearly visible prohibition signs around the whole property. Where the right to be in the forest is restricted, marking the boundary with clear notices is precisely the owner's duty.
What must the signs look like?
The law prescribes no exact form. In practice it is a “Private property” sign with a crossed-out figure, or a “No entry” sign. They must be visible around the whole property, not on one edge of it.
May I gather anything anywhere?
No. Specially protected nature areas may have stricter rules, and gathering protected species of plants or fungi can be prohibited regardless of who owns the forest or whether any signs are posted.
May I drive into the forest?
That is a separate question. The right to be in a forest and to forage does not imply a right to drive in with a vehicle, and the owner may restrict access by car separately, even while allowing foraging.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
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