WHAT IS ETHICAL FORAGING AND WILDCRAFTING

Cheers everyone! Pete from Earth Elements Botanicals to chat about the difference between Foraging and Wildcrafting, and then more specifically about, what 'Ethical' Foraging/Wildcrafting is all about.

Mia and I live by choice on the wild, west shores of Vancouver Island, in the PNW sub-tropical rain forest and a virtual foragers paradise! At Earth Elements Botanicals we ethically forage as much as we are able when various species are in season. I'm out in the mountains at least four days a week, year-round and have seen just about everything from wonderful to simply despicable when it comes to wild foraging/wildcrafting.

There is a subtle difference between 'Foraging', and 'Wildcrafting'. Foraging generally describes searching for, identifying, and harvesting from the wild for food. Wildcrafting still involves the same process, but the intent is for medicine. Foraging = For Food, Wildcrafting = For Medicine. Personally, I don't like labels, so for simplicity-sake, in this blog post, we'll just call it all 'Foraging'. So, lets dive right into the 'Ethical' part!

My own personal mission is to not see dollar signs when I look at things in Nature. That has not always been easy! In logging I looked at trees and saw $$ in potential boardfeet of lumber. Early on with foraging I would roughly see $$ of what was in a 'find' and in my baskets. Real money can be made from serious hard foraging (little concern for the environment) where quantity foraged equals ones payday... this is where a solid sense of personal values that align with minimal impact, sustainability, respect and gratitude for what Mother Nature provides makes a difference! I have stood on both side of this fence and am now, by choice, aligned with these important values. My values are aligned with those of Earth Elements Botanicals as a company. We practice and teach Ethical Foraging. "Ya, but what difference does it make if I'm the only one foraging this way?"... change happens slowly with the efforts of a few who set a solid example for the many. Why are you choosing to forage at all? The answer to that question will be mirrored by your behavior in the forest when nobody is watching.

Nature's bounty is there for all to enjoy... responsibly, with respect consideration, sustainability, gratitude and genuine care. Lets take a look at exactly what this may mean in a practical sense.

'Ethical' : Ethical comes from the Greek ethos "moral character" and describes a person or behaviour as right in the moral sense - truthful, fair, and honest. Sometimes the word is used for people who follow the moral standards of their profession... conforming to what is 'right' and 'good'.

'Integrity' : What we do when no one is watching.

So, if we combine these two words and truly think on the intended meaning we arrive at a version of behaviour that is very important to the sustainability of wild foraging. 

Any Natural resource extraction industry (forestry, mining, fishing) must adhere to these principles to avoid depletion of the resource to the point of no recovery in our lifetime. When old growth forests are gone, we will not see them again for another thousand years... that's 10-plus generations of humanity! Don't be greedy! Greed slips into our psyche when we begin to see $$ in place of what it is we are foraging!

'Leave No Trace' (Link to: leavenotrace.ca) is an initiative by the US Forest Service and has been around since the mid 1970's. It essentially means to leave the environment as it was, or better (pick up garbage when you see it) before we entered into it... "Be One With Nature". Lets apply these principles to Foraging.

Every natural environment is delicate in its own way. We are used to simply moving about on hard, unnatural surfaces with little regard for what is under our feet. I personally dislike cities very much. Sadly, the state of city sidewalks mirrors its way into our forests and natural spaces. On the occasion that I'm walking on human-made trails, I often see intentional destruction along either side of the trail. Mushrooms kicked over, plants trampled to walk around puddles, trees hacked up, branches broken off, dog poop bags everywhere, candy wrappers and drink containers flung into the bushes, flowers ripped off plants... is this ethical? I most often bushwhack-forage far away from human presence by choice, and even then I almost always come home with a full size trash bag full of garbage! Not cool, not at all!

When I teach ethical foraging and forest walking, I love to use the 'miniature human' analogy. Picture yourself as much smaller than you are, much closer to the forest floor. At this level one sees things from a much different perspective, possibly for the very first time. What's down there? What would we normally be stomping around on? All manner of tiny critters, delicate flora and fungi inhabit the forest floor. Taking care in where we choose to walk, step and move means we are exercising consideration and care for the micro, not only the macro world of Nature. That banana slug you chose to respect and not step on lives on to fulfill its important role in Nature! That mushroom you chose not to kick over for fun lives on to feed a host of critters! 

Understanding what species exist where we choose to forage is very important. Avoid harvesting species on the endangered list so that they have a chance of recovering. Being aware of, able to identify, and move around at-risk species means we are well on our way to becoming ethical stewards of the land. Using wildlife trails to get from one spot to the next instead of bashing through the bush is a great way to minimise impact (be prepared that these trails are also flea and tick highways).

So, we're moving around with care. Awesome! Now we find what we are foraging and the rules of ethical foraging should apply:

- Be mindful that what is being foraged is also food for a host of forest critters - avoid being greedy;

- Harvest with care only one third of what you find;

- Use proper tools when harvesting. Sharp cutting tools, proper baskets, etc;

- Baskets with a perforated bottom or mesh bags for mushrooms to allow spores to drop to the forest floor as you walk;

- Gently pull mushrooms out and carefully cut off the base, letting it fall to the forest floor. Cutting the stipe leaves it in the ground exposed to infection. That infection can migrate down the stipe and damage the underlying mycelium and cause mass destruction underground;

- Practice minimal impact harvesting and cut with care vs ripping or breaking off;

- No need to rip out the entire plant if all you are foraging is flowers, or a few leaves;

- When foraging Fireweed flowers take only open flowers below the bud spike, leaving the remaining buds to open and continue to flower;

- pick up garbage when you encounter it;

- be able to identify and avoid local toxic species unless you have a reason for harvesting them;

- Avoid interfering with Natures processes... steer clear of wildlife dens/nests and be knowledgeable and mindful of wildlife around you;

 - Avoid travelling in groups of more that two or three to minimize impact.

This may all seem a bit overwhelming, but with practice will become something that you just do! It will also become a practice that others will notice. Lets change the world beginning with our own example of what's ethical and moral. Nature will be forever grateful and humanity will be all the better for it!

Before you run out and begin your own forage, be sure to check out my blog post, (link to: How to prepare for a safe and enjoyable foraging outing)! Happy trails and thanks so much for informing yourself!

External References:

Endangered List: https://unitedplantsavers.org/species-at-risk-list/