The Daily Inter Lake

Morel mushroom picking is under way in forests that burned last summer, and as a result, regulations for pickers are in effect.

The Flathead National Forest is not requiring personal use permits this year because of limited fire activity on the forest last summer.

People are allowed to have a maximum of five gallons of mushrooms in their possession for personal use only.

Commercial use or sale of mushrooms from the Flathead Forest is prohibited this year.

There was some fire activity in the Bob Marshall and Great Bear wilderness areas last summer. Mushrooms taken from those areas must be sliced in half lengthwise immediately after collection. Doing so renders mushrooms less marketable for commercial purposes.

Morel mushroom picking is completely prohibited in Glacier National Park, where last summer's Red Eagle fire raged in the St. Mary area.

The fire also burned extensively on Blackfeet Nation lands, where mushroom picking is limited to tribal members only.

Morel mushrooms predictably appear in burned forests of Northwest Montana the spring after a fire.