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Contact Us

The Wayne has three offices to serve 

visitors. Office hours are 8 - 4:30 Monday 

through Friday. 

Athens Ranger District

13700 U.S. Hwy 33

Nelsonville, OH 45764

Phone: 740-753-0101

Marietta Unit Office

27515 State Route 7

Marietta, OH 45750

Phone: 740-373-9055

Ironton Ranger District

6518 State Route 93

Pedro, OH 45659

Phone: 740-534-6500

Federal relay: 1-800-877-8339

website: fs.usda.gov/wayne

Facebook: 

https://www.facebook.com/waynenationalforest 

USDA is an equal opportunity

 provider, employer, and lender.

Collecting forest products from 

the Wayne National Forest has long been a 

popular pastime. It’s an activity that provides 

families enjoyable outings to the forest while 

bringing home useful products. Any forest 

product collected for commercial purposes 

will require a special use permit.

Keep in mind, collecting products on private 

land without permission is trespassing and 

constitutes theft. Maps are available from Forest Service offices which show national forest 

ownership. 

Fruits and nuts may be collected such as 

blackberries, raspberries, walnuts, hickory 

nuts, pecan, or rose hips for personal use. If 

you have any questions whether a particular 

activity requires a permit, please contact one 

of our offices. 

One “fruit” which is often collected on the 

Forest are pinecones. People are welcome to 

collect pinecones which are often gathered by 

families for crafts and Christmas decorations. 

Mushrooms make spring a favorite time of 

year for many Buckeyes. April is usually the 

peak season for collecting mushrooms. Morels 

and snakeheads are some of the more popular 

but there are several edible varieties.

Novices should consult books or an expert before eating any mushrooms they collect since 

many look similar and some can be toxic. 

Mushrooms are the fruiting body of a fungi 

which grows as a mat layer in the top soil. The 

mushrooms we collect will naturally mature 

and release spores. Morels increase in size 

as they age and their growth depends on the 

moisture, temperature, and fertility of the soil. 

There are no sure ways to find mushrooms. 

Generally if you’ve found them in an area in 

the past, they are likely to be there again. Enjoy the search as much as the picking. 

Firewood may be collected only in specific 

areas and only with a Forest Product Removal 

Permit (FS 2400-1). A copy of maps of the 

areas where you are allowed to collect will be 

issued with the permit. We do require that the 

permit be purchased in person at one of our 

offices because we need original signatures. 

Permits are NOT required if the person is currently camped on national forest land, and the 

firewood being collected is for campfire use 

only. Campfire wood is limited to the amount 

which can be carried by hand to the camp 

site. The wood collected can be ONLY DEAD 

AND DOWN. No standing trees may be cut 

- dead or alive, of any size. No wood can be 

taken home or taken to private land. All others 

must have a permit to collect firewood.

Firewood Permits

Each permit is $20.00, and will allow the 

permittee to collect up to 4 CCF (hundred 

cubic feet of wood) which is approximately 5 

standard cords. Each person is limited to ONE 

firewood permit per year. Whoever the permit 

is issued to needs to be of legal age (at least 18 

years old.) ONLY DEAD AND DOWN wood 

may be collected. No standing trees may be 

cut - dead or alive, of any size. 

Firewood may not be moved outside the gypsy 

moth quarantine area or outside the emerald 

ash borer quarantine area. There are also maps 

for each district depicting areas closed to firewood harvest. 

(continued on inside) 

Wayne National Forest

Gathering Forest 

Products

Forest

Service

FS-R9-037

09/2016
stand-alone permits, not combined with the 

general root collection permit and 

are sold for each 

unit of the Wayne 

(Athens, Ironton, 

and Marietta). 

Changes were 

made to ensure 

ginseng is being 

managed sustainably on the Forest.

Collecting without 

a permit is punishable by law. Ohio 

law requires that 

with ginseng only 

mature roots-those 

with three leaf 

stems-be harvested. 

It also stipulates 

that harvesters replant the berries dug up with 

the root.

Any plant species beyond the seven mentioned

here require special permission to collect. 

Collection without a permit is punishable by 

law. 

Come enjoy the 

Wayne National Forest and 

the products it yields.

Rocks

Small quantities of unique rocks for personal 

use may be collected on the Forest. These rocks 

may not be resold and there should be no earth 

disturbed in the process of collecting. 

Gold

Recreational gold prospecting is also of some 

interest on the Wayne. There is little known gold 

in Ohio and none has been found on the Wayne 

to our knowledge. However, the use of a gold 

pan and digging of a few shovels full of material 

here and there in a stream is allowed without 

a permit. Any digging in the banks of streams, 

digging holes, using a sluice box or suction 

dredge, would require a permit. The Ohio 

Department of Natural Resources – Division of 

Mineral Resources Management, 34 Portsmouth 

Street, Jackson, Ohio 45640, 740-286-6411 

can provide you additional information on state 

requirements for gold prospecting on state and 

private lands in Ohio.

Bottles, old farm equipment, and antiquated 

household utensils often remain at old farm sites 

throughout the Wayne. These items are protected and may not be removed. As historians 

and archaeologists examine the sites, many of 

these items allow them to date occupancy of the 

site and from these traces of the past, they can 

learn more about our heritage. Use of a metal 

detector to search for coins or other antiques and 

historic artifacts is prohibited. These objects are 

protected under federal antiquities acts. However, an exception to this rule is that coins may 

be collected and metal detectors used on beach 

areas in developed recreation sites. 

Just as much of the Forest was once settled by 

pioneers, in prehistoric times, the area was used 

by Native Americans who left remnants of their 

life here. Any artifacts such as arrow-heads, 

spear points, pottery, and grinding stones are 

protected by law and collection of these items 

is absolutely prohibited. Any earth disturbing activities in rock shelters or other sites of 

prehistoric occupation or possession of these 

artifacts on national forest lands is punishable 

by fines and imprisonment. 

Plant Collecting - 

This is so popular on the Wayne that a permit 

system is required to protect these resources 

from over-collection. The permit system allows 

Forest managers to be aware of how many 

collectors are using the land and what species 

are being collected. The only exception to the 

requirement for permits are small amounts of 

forest products for 

personal use such as 

blackberries, pinecones, mushrooms, or 

rose hips. If you have 

any questions whether 

a particular activity requires a permit, please 

contact one of our offices.

Plant collectors may collect in only one unit of 

the Forest and are required to list which species 

they will gather. There 

are six species which 

may be collected: blue 

cohosh, black cohosh, 

snakeroot, yellowroot 

or goldenseal, wild 

ginger, or bloodroot. 

Ginseng is listed as a 

separate species and 

requires a separate 

permit. For the

other species, 

there is a $20 

permit fee 

regardless of the number of species collected. 

The permit includes a map showing areas open 

to plant collecting on the unit selected. It is the

permittees’ responsibility to ensure they 

are in the correct 

location. Remember, 

collecting plants on 

someone else’s land 

without permission is 

trespassing and constitutes theft. 

Plant collecting permits

are valid only during

the calendar year 

purchased, not to exceed one year. A prospective permittee is required to show identification, 

such as a drivers license, when applying for a 

permit. Each permittee must also provide their 

phone number, vehicle make, and model. 

Ginseng

The Wayne National Forest 

issues ginseng root collection permits beginning on 

August 1. Ginseng permits

are $20 and are sold 

through the harvest season, 

from September 1 thru 

December 31. 

Ginseng root permits are 

Blue cohosh

Black cohosh or 

Snakeroot

Yellowroot or 

Goldenseal

Wild ginger

Bloodroot

Ginseng plant with 

berries and root.

Brochures were partly funded 

with a Recreational Trails 

Program (RTP) grant.