British Columbia says it is not ruling out regulating wild mushroom picking after an Indigenous community said a rising number of foragers are infringing on its land, with one case involving alleged threats of physical violence and intimidation.
The provincial response comes after the Skwlax te Secwepemculecw First Nation said the areas devastated by the Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek wildfires last year are now sprouting large numbers of morel mushrooms, attracting many foragers who are putting new pressures on the land's fragile ecosystem.
"Picking mushrooms is an activity shared by many people in B.C. and there is no licence requirement at this time," the statement said."We are deeply concerned, and everyone should be aware and respectful of the First Nation territories they are on. "The province has grappled with this issue before, and in the end — twice that I'm familiar with, including one that I was quite involved with — they backed away from any kind of regulation of pickers or buyers," said B.C. forest ecologist Andy MacKinnon.
It means more conflicts over morel picking may arise as the number of wildfires in B.C. increases, creating more waves of crops on lands where different parties rush in to forage them in an unregulated environment. One such holdover fire is the out-of-control, 673-square-kilometre Patry Creek blaze north of Fort Nelson, the largest wildfire of note in B.C. as of Saturday.
He said one case even involved"an individual felt it was his right" to be on Nation land, and there was"some physical violence and intimidation" that took place, although he declined to comment further as the case has been reported to police.
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