A general rule is to collect only five percent of any individual patch of a given species within a maximum of 25 percent of an area.
• Some species are more susceptible to overharvest than others and require more careful management. For example:
- Wild leeks take seven years to produce seed and can easily be overharvested.
- No more than half of the fiddleheads from a single ostrich fern should be harvested to allow for regrowth.
• Even abundant species should be harvested in moderation to ensure species persistence and limited food waste.
• With the exception of harvesting roots, do not remove an entire plant – this provides the plant with an opportunity to regrow.
• Additional suggestions and cautions for harvest can be found in the “Recommendations for Harvesting” section of this guide.
• Some species are more susceptible to overharvest than others and require more careful management. For example:
- Wild leeks take seven years to produce seed and can easily be overharvested.
- No more than half of the fiddleheads from a single ostrich fern should be harvested to allow for regrowth.
• Even abundant species should be harvested in moderation to ensure species persistence and limited food waste.
• With the exception of harvesting roots, do not remove an entire plant – this provides the plant with an opportunity to regrow.
• Additional suggestions and cautions for harvest can be found in the “Recommendations for Harvesting” section of this guide.