A legal question

[Bofh]

Hello everyone, I've recently discovered the world of Truffles and I'm trying to find out a little more about the legal aspects of foraging in the UK.

I would like to know where I can and can't search, National Trust land etc.

My apologies if it's been discussed a millions times already

Great site by the way, I can feel a whole lot of learning coming my way

[fairplay]

Hello and welcome to WAB fungi forum,

In answer to your simple question, you can forage anywhere with THE LEGAL OWNERS PERMISSION.

Doing so without the owners consent, you can expect to be challenged, reported and hopefully brought to court.

Neil.

[waynehicks1]

Welcome to WAB Bofh.

I know from personal experience that certain trusts and parks do not allow foraging full stop. Epping forest for instance, has a strict policy. They even have signs up warning against foraging for fungi.

I think you are pretty safe in your local woods, but I'd recommend you check first before you go rummaging around on National Trust or Woodland trust land.

Where in Kent are you, by the way?

Regards

Wayne

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by waynehicks1

Welcome to WAB Bofh.
I think you are pretty safe in your local woods, but I'd recommend you check first before you go rummaging around on National Trust or Woodland trust land.
Regards

Wayne

Let's put it this way, if I owned my own wood and I caught somebody stealing from it (trespassing with intent at the very least) I wouldn't hesitate to apprehend them and hand them over to the police.

Neil.

[JdeV]

I am not always sure what the boundaries are if I have taken the land as open. I appreciate if you are looking for truffles you had best be sure but if it isn't over a truffle patch calling the police seems an excessive first response.

[Wallaby]

What a vicious and needlessly unpleasant reply to a politely couched and reasonable question. You know I was going to recommend this site to my mother the other day but the thought of her being met by that kind of response to an innocent question is horrifying.

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Bofh

Hello everyone, I've recently discovered the world of Truffles and I'm trying to find out a little more about the legal aspects of foraging in the UK. . . . . .

There is a surprising number of 'hypogeous' fungi in the UK - 'truffles' in the loose sense; they are rarely collected except by one or two mycologists who have their 'eye in' and can recognise a good site. The scientific study of these fungi is a rewarding and important one as little is known of their true distribution and host relationships.

Of all these British fungi only one, the summer truffle, Tuber aestivum, has ever been considered worthwhile for the table. At least one of our high street supermarkets sells these for less than the price of your fuel as you go out 'foraging'. Trust me they're OK, but only OK - nothing to touch the white truffle of Alba in Italy for example.

So, frankly I would just go out and enjoy the fascinating world of fungi and if by chance you find something edible that's a bonus . . . .

and check out: Is my fungus edible or psychotic requests

cheers

Chris

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Wallaby

What a vicious and needlessly unpleasant reply to a politely couched and reasonable question. You know I was going to recommend this site to my mother the other day but the thought of her being met by that kind of response to an innocent question is horrifying.

hi Wallaby

you're clearly new to this site and I think comments above (which are a bit 'on the nose' I freely admit and I would personally distance myself from some of them) have been honed on a history of people, also new to the site, coming on and asking for tips about where to find the best edible fungi . . . . this is not really what this forum is mainly about which is helping newcomers learn more about fungi for their own sake, not merely for the table, and for showing interesting finds people have made

it has become very useful for many people on those terms; there are websites which deal primarily with the culinary side of fungi (and with other less legal aspects of 'ethnomycology')

if your mother is interested in fungi please don't be put off, we are a friendly lot here - honest; have a look at other threads and you will see there is a lot of great fungal stuff here . . . . . it's just when people come straight on and start talking about collecting purely for the table (often, rather naively, asking for the best sites people know of) alarm bells tend to ring; the fact that many of these enquirers never appear again underlines the fact that their interest goes little further than someone going on the wildflowers forum and asking for good sites for bilberry-picking

I hope neither you, your mother or Bofh will be too put off

cheers

Chris

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by Wallaby

What a vicious and needlessly unpleasant reply to a politely couched and reasonable question. You know I was going to recommend this site to my mother the other day but the thought of her being met by that kind of response to an innocent question is horrifying.

Hello Wallaby, this is just for you:

I don't have a garden where I can grow new potato's, but I think there's a good chance that you or your Dad rather, have some growing in your garden, so I shall be calling round tomorrow to pinch a sackful OK ?

I apologise in advance if I disturb any freshly planted carrots growing nearby, and if my spud sniffer dog leaves a mess on the path, I'll be sure to clear up the mess.

Have a nice day

Neil.

[Wallaby]

Hi Chris

Thanks for that considered and encouraging reply. While I take your point to a degree concerning the context I don't really feel that is in any way an excuse for such a lapse in civility and one which I feel is unsettlingly common around here. If replying to these requests is becoming irksome then the reasonable member might leave it to someone else to reply rather than lash out.

I'll make a few points.

Firstly this meets the classic profile of the 'internet hard man'. Someone who hides behind the pseudanonymity of the internet to basically bully someone who wanders perhaps naively into what they consider their area with their rules and the obligation of the newcomer to perfectly understand them and comply with them from their first arrival.

Secondly a well moderated forum does not put up with that kind of abuse, especially by its long standing members.

Thirdly I am under no illusions that the internet is a democracy, merely an almost infinite series of localised dictatorships. A forum that allows one form of abuse is generally inclined to pay host to others such as for example the silencing of dissidents in favour of those carrying more local cachet. I have set this account up to comment on an example of a trend which I feel is making this forum an unwelcoming place but I am not going to stick my neck out as far as to sacrifice my long standing account in order to do so.

Best regards

A. Marsupial