YAKIMA — Citing sustainability concerns, enforcement challenges and escalating conflicts among harvesters, Gifford Pinchot National Forest will not issue commercial huckleberry harvest permits this season.
The U.S. Forest Service said the decision comes amid increasing pressure from tribal nations, county officials and users to address declines in huckleberry availability, concerns about enforcement and disputes over harvesting rights, according to a news release. The agency wants to collaborate on long-term solutions, it said.
Huckleberries are a vital cultural and ecological resource, said Johanna Kovarik, the Gifford Pinchot forest supervisor, “and we must ensure their sustainability for generations to come,” she said in the release.
Personal use gathering — less than 1 gallon per day and up to 3 gallons per year — will continue under existing guidelines, officials said.
Everyone harvesting huckleberries in the Gifford Pinchot forest is required to have a permit. Personal use permits are free.
The commercial huckleberry program has existed since the 1990s, with annual harvests ranging between 50,000 to 70,000 gallons, according to the news release.
The decision to suspend commercial huckleberry harvesting permits in Gifford Pinchot this season drew praise from Yakama Nation officials. Huckleberries are used in traditional ceremonies within the Yakama culture.
“We sincerely appreciate the Forest Service’s commitment to protecting Yakama Nation’s First Foods from over-harvest and habitat degradation,” said Yakama Nation Tribal Council Chairman Gerald Lewis in a news release.
The Yakama Nation has collaborated with the Forest Service to coordinate the commercial harvest timing with respect to traditional harvests, “however, we have continued to experience a decline in our harvests that are important to our cultural practices,” Lewis said.
Commercial huckleberry pickers and huckleberry buyers say they didn’t get any input in the decision. Some individuals have talked to Forest Service officials but say there were no public hearings on the issue. Some plan to challenge the Forest Service’s decision.
Marla Hedman of Post Falls, Idaho, is the owner of Larchwood Farms, which sells huckleberry jam and other products on its website. Larchwood Farms also produces the Wild Huckleberry Mountain products for Walmart stores and operates Huckleberry Thicket, a gift shop in Post Falls.
“We can’t pick them all; the bears can’t eat them all,” she said. “Do we want (unpicked berries) to fall off and rot? Why can’t we keep using it and making people happy? It’s a happy thing. It’s like apple pie and hot dogs.”
“I think everybody ought to have the huckleberries,” she said.
Important tradition
Gifford Pinchot National Forest covers 1.3 million acres, including Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument.
Twelve species of huckleberries grow in Washington and Oregon, with the thin-leaved huckleberry the most sought-after species for its large, sweet, purple berries. Peak season for picking huckleberries is between mid-August to mid-September.
Within Gifford Pinchot, the Sawtooth berry fields near Mount Adams are a prime destination for huckleberry pickers. An area in the fields was reserved in 1932 by a handshake agreement between Yakama Indian Chief William Yallup and Gifford Pinchot Forest Supervisor K.P. Cecil for use by Indians, the forest website notes.
Continuing today, some areas are reserved for use by Indigenous people with posted signs. Yakama Nation leaders have seen harvests decline, often presenting a shortage during ceremonies, tribal leaders said in their news release.
“These berries have a direct tie and importance to our people — the Yakama Nation wants reassurance that they will be available as a cultural resource for generations to come,” said Lewis, the tribal council chairman.
Yakama Nation Tribal Councilman Jeremy Takala, a member of the Rock Creek Band, said longhouse members celebrate their First Foods feast for huckleberries near the picking area. They and other Yakama tribal citizens will camp up there with family for weeks, or months, as they gather berries, fish and hunt. The gathering itself and time with family are important.
Yakama citizens pick berries for name-giving ceremonies, First Food ceremonies, weddings, memorials, gift giving and personal use.
“It’s important that our families have those First Foods in our own individual homes so that our children growing up see that” they are part of their diet, from very young children to elders,” Takala said. “That’s why it’s important for the tribes like Yakama to protect those First Foods.”
Sustainability and safety
Mechanical removal of berries, with rakes or other brush-disturbing devices, is prohibited on the Gifford Pinchot forest. Huckleberry bushes grow slowly and resist large-scale cultivation, preferring shaded, wild land on mountains.
There is evidence of harmful gathering tactics causing irreversible damage to huckleberry bushes, though such tools are barred from Gifford Pinchot’s fields, the Yakama Nation release said. And there’s concern people are picking all the berries, including unripe fruit.
Some of the women don’t feel safe picking at times, Takala said. They insist on going, though.
“Our ladies are very adamant about going up there — taking time off, taking their grandchildren,” he said. “Even folks that work every day, they will utilize their leave to go fish or go hunt or go pick berries. It’s a time to be in that space and have that connection to that space and that land.”
Commercial pickers and buyers
In 2024, commercial huckleberry permits in Gifford Pinchot cost $60 for a two-week permit with a 40-gallon limit, or $105 for a seasonal permit with a 70-gallon limit.
Many commercial huckleberry pickers have traveled to Gifford Pinchot for years. They sell to fruit stands and other produce buyers, businesses such as Larchwood Farms, Fruit City in Union Gap, restaurants and corporate buyers. Huckleberry shakes and taffy are among products popular with tourists and locals alike when available.
Hedman, the Larchwood Farms owner, began her business of making and selling huckleberry jam 39 years ago in Montana.
“This is our business. This is what we do. We are proud of what we do and we have a big following,” she said.
Though Hedman buys “a lot of berries,” her berries come from pickers in Montana and Idaho. She’s concerned that if commercial pickers can’t go to Gifford Pinchot, they’ll travel to Montana and Idaho to pick. That will affect her business, she said.
She’s well aware of the intense competition for huckleberries and that confrontations can occur. “We always have bad people. You don’t punish everybody by taking it away,” Hedman said.
The decision to close the 2025 commercial huckleberry picking season happened behind closed doors and there were no public hearings or other ways to provide public input, Hedman said.
“I think this is a very serious situation. This is a national treasure and here we are, letting a few people decide for everybody,” she said.
Work is underway to build two websites, huckleberryinfo.org and huckleberryinfo.com, with resources for commercial pickers, buyers and huckleberry-related businesses, Hedman said. She hopes it could help overturn the decision to close the commercial picking season this year.
Hedman continues to call various national officials, including senators, representatives and department heads, with her suggestions and thoughts.
“We can’t go one season without those berries,” Hedman said.
A final decision on commercial huckleberry harvesting in Gifford Pinchot beyond 2025 “will be informed by ongoing assessments, tribal consultations, and stakeholder engagement,” the Forest Service news release said.
