Regulations on Foraging Nuts on State-Owned Land in the United States
This is a presentation from April 4, 2025 for the Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences Student Symposium.
Foraging is searching for naturally occurring food for sustenance in nature. We hope to educate foragers on the benefits of foraging and the current state level regulations. Wild food can be thought of as available food for human or animal consumption - which could be important for food security - and also a potential food source that may be going to waste by not being eaten.
In the United States, foraging has its roots in Black and Indigenous cultures and traditions. Historically, there were laws in the US that restricted or banned foraging. These anti-foraging regulations marginalized BIPOC communities and foodways, targeting these methods for collecting sustenance in times of need. Recent research on this history in the US by Baylen Linnekin shows how legislation targeted African Americans, Native Americans, and rural white Americans through changes in and control of land access and exclusion. Recently the practice of foraging gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result of growing food insecurity. Our objective was to examine the current status of modern foraging laws. Specifically, our study looked at state laws relating to foraging on state-owned land across the US. We conducted geographical analyses to determine methods of limitation surrounding commonly foraged products throughout the US. From our research, one of the most common regulations we observed was about the foraging of nuts. We found that sixteen US states allow the foraging of nuts on state-owned public land. How many nuts can be taken is commonly regulated by limiting the amount and method of take. For example, in Missouri, the foraging of nuts is allowed on state-owned land, but it must be foraged by hand without damaging the plant. The study by Linnekin found similar restrictions on federally-owned land, with many parks requiring written confirmation that the collection of nuts won’t adversely impact the environment.
