This is particularly true for small mushrooms. Other mushrooms spoil quickly and become poisonous. The National Park Service is mandated to conserve scenery, natural and historic objects and wildlife. National and state forests, on the other hand, are under different management designations and are administered for a variety of uses, from lumber production to wildlife protection. Regulations on collecting mushrooms differ there.
Some collectors aid their search for mushrooms with leaf blowers or garden rakes.
Both can damage fragile life on the forest floor. The combination of commercial and recreational collection of mushrooms poses threats to the quality of natural areas. The gathering, collecting or harvesting of all mushrooms is prohibited within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Please see a map for boundary locations or contact a park ranger at a visitor center or ranger station for more information.