Matsutake Mushroom Season Opens Sept. 2 on Deschutes National Forest

Overview:

Mushroom foraging in the Deschutes National Forest is a popular activity. Hundreds of permits sell each year just for the Matsutake variety.

Whether you’re foraging for fun or for profit, mushroom foraging in the Pacific Northwest can be very rewarding.

The commercial Matsutake mushroom season opens Tuesday, Sept. 2, in the Deschutes National Forest, giving harvesters a 62-day window to collect the prized “pine mushrooms” through Nov. 3.

Commercial permits cost $200 for the full season, $100 for a 31-day half-season pass, or $8 per day with a three-day minimum purchase. Harvesters must be at least 18 with valid ID to buy permits.

All commercial pickers need harvest area maps. These areas are defined by the Deschutes National Forest in separate east and west maps. While much of this can be foraged, their mycelium, or root-like system, is still delicate. A press release from the Deschutes National Forest states that raking and other ground disturbance are banned when foraging, as it disturbs the mushrooms. Without the mycelium, additional mushrooms will not grow. Foragers should only use tools no wider than 1 inch and no longer than 18 inches.

White mushrooms being pulled from the brown, twiggy underbrush of a pine forest. — The Matsutake is referred to as a “pine mushroom,” for its symbiotic relationship with pine trees.
*Courtesy: Oregon Encyclopedia*

Matsutake picking is off-limits in several areas including Crater Lake National Park, Newberry National Volcanic Monument, wilderness areas and developed recreation sites. Commercial harvesters must stick to roads marked “open” on official mushroom maps.

The Forest Service has set up a free campground at Little Odell Industrial Camp near Crescent Lake for commercial harvesters with valid permits.

On opening day, the Crescent Ranger District will only accept cash payments for permits due to expected high permit demand.

Anyone wanting to operate a buying station on forest land needs a separate buyer’s permit from the Crescent Ranger District.

The Matsutake, often called “pine mushroom,” thrives in Pacific Northwest pine forests. While the Deschutes, Fremont-Winema, Umpqua and Willamette National Forests offer shared permits for other mushroom species, Matsutake requires its own specialized commercial permit.

This article appears in the Source September 4, 2025.