Safe foraging

General rule: registration, days and quantity

• As a general rule, only people who have registered may forage in South Tyrol – exclusively on even-numbered days of the month, from 7 am to 7 pm, and at most 1 kg per day. The limit does not apply to a single mushroom that alone weighs more than 1 kg. (Art. 4(1))
• The registration for this general rule is the receipt for the paid collection fee – issued, among others, by the treasury or a tourist organisation – or a PagoPA payment receipt. It shows your details, the municipality and the day or days. (Art. 6(1))
• The registration is personal and only possible for people over 14. You prove it with the payment receipt and a valid identity document. (Art. 6(1))
• It is valid for one or more days. The amount of the fee is set by the provincial government – ask the municipality. (Art. 6(2))

Special cases

• In view of local custom, residents of a municipality may collect 2 kg per person there, on even-numbered days between 7 am and 7 pm. Residence is shown with a valid identity document. For anything else, ask the municipality. (Art. 4(2))
• By way of derogation from the general rule, private owners, tenants or usufructuaries and the family members living with them may collect up to 3 kg per day and person on the land at their disposal. (Art. 4(3))
• In nature parks, residents of the municipalities concerned may collect up to 2 kg per person on even-numbered days without paying the collection fee. (Art. 4(3))

Where foraging is not allowed

• The provincial government can ban foraging in specific areas. The bans are posted on the municipal notice board and signposted on site. (Art. 2)
• Landowners can prohibit foraging on their land with prohibition signs. (Art. 3(1))
• In areas with a ban, even a paid registration is not valid. (Art. 6(2))
• In natural monuments, biotopes, nature parks, Natura 2000 sites and the South Tyrolean part of the Stelvio National Park, penalties for mushrooms collected beyond the permitted quantity are increased by 50 %. (Art. 8(3))

In the forest

• Carry mushrooms in rigid, open and ventilated containers – a basket, for example. (Art. 4(5))
• Do not damage mushrooms where they grow. (Art. 4(6))
• Checks are carried out by the provincial forestry corps and staff of the provincial department responsible for nature and landscape. On request, you must open portable containers that are not considered personal items for inspection. (Art. 8(1) and (4))
• Violations are punished with fines, and the mushrooms can be confiscated. (Arts. 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8)

Source

Provincial Law No. 18 of 19 June 1991 on the regulation of mushroom foraging to protect plant ecosystems, published in the Official Bulletin of 2 July 1991, No. 28, version in force (official texts in German and Italian): Legal text in German · Legal text in Italian

This page is a summary without warranty and replaces neither the legal text nor information from the municipality.