Huckleberries hold significant cultural and economic importance to tribes, local communities, businesses and personal use gatherers.
In the early 2000s, permitted commercial huckleberry harvesting began on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (GPNF), with harvests ranging from 50,000 to 70,000 gallons annually, according to a news release from the U.S. Forest Service.
In March 2025, the U.S. Forest Service announced that commercial huckleberry harvesting permits would not be issued by the GPNF for the duration of the 2025 season. This decision was made due to overharvesting concerns, enforcement challenges and escalating conflicts among harvesters, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Forest managers are currently assessing the impacts from the change to the 2025 commercial huckleberry permit season. Residents interested in submitting comments on their 2025 huckleberry experience should fill out the Commercial Huckleberry Feedback Form, available at https://forms.office.com/g/T9bnsTjgMB. The electronic form contains 15 questions and takes about 20 minutes to complete, the release stated. The feedback gathered will be used to guide decision making for the 2026 season and beyond.
Personal use gathering was not impacted and will continue under existing guidelines.
For more information about huckleberry picking in the forest, visit https://tinyurl.com/4swy95h4.
For more information about the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/giffordpinchot.
