Guide to Wild Plant Collection in Montana

This site is organized into three main sections. The Ethics of Wildcrafting section includes ten guidelines to consider to collect plants in a sustinable, ethical, and responsible way. The Legal Regulations section offers an overview of how public lands are managed in Montana and the laws and rules for collecting plants on the most common swaths of public land across the state. Finally, the Plant Education & Resources section is split into three subsections, which include resources for botany and plant identification, ethnobotany and culturally significant plants, and community plant education opportunities in Montana.

As wild collection of plants for personal and commercial use becomes more popular across the country and in Montana, there is an increased risk of overharvesting and other threats to plants. Native plants, in particular, provide us with so many ecological, cultural, and economic benefits. Ensuring that we protect our native plants is essential to the health of our landscapes and people who rely on using them for a variety of purposes.

To help preserve our plants, it is vital that we, as wildcrafters, practice plant gathering in responsible way. Having proper plant knowledge and adhering to ethical principles and legal regulations concerning the collection of plants helps guarantee native plant populations remain intact for all Montanans to use and enjoy. My aim is for this guide is to encourage people to connect with our landscapes respectfully and responsibly by providing tools for the legal, ethical, and sustainable harvest of plants in Montana.

*The practice of gathering plants in the natural environment is often referred to as wildcrafting.

My name is Susan Teitelman and I am a graduate student in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. My studies have focused on Montana native plants and Ethnobotany (the study of how humans -- especially Indigenous communities -- use plants). Prior to this program, I studied and practiced herbalism. I owned a small herbal medicine company and spent time gathering medicinal plants in Western Montana.

In the years I have been wildcrafting, I have not been able to find a central place for information regarding plant collection in Montana. Hence, I created this Story Map! This site aims address key questions about wildcrafting through its three main sections. My hope is that this site is accessible and useful to all types of wildcrafters at all levels -- herbalists, biologists, naturalists, recreators, food foragers, mushroom hunters (not plants, but plant-adjacent!), and so on. Are all welcome. Happy harvesting!

Many people and communities with traditions of plant gathering adhere to the idea of reciprocity: in exchange for the gifts given to us by the land (like plants!), we must take care of the land in return.

In the slideshow below you will find philosophical and practical guidelines to plant collection that have been compiled in the spirit of having a respectful, responsible relationship with our natural environment.

Public land managed by the federal government comprises 30% of Montana's land area. Public lands managed by the state account for 5% of total Montana land area. Federal lands in Montana are managed primarily by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service. State lands are managed by The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).*

 _{*Sources:  Public Lands 101 – Wild Montana  and  mt-access-guide  (DNRC)} 

Public lands in Montana are located all throughout the state. The map below shows how federal and state lands are dispersed throughout the state.

Peruse the map below to find more detailed information about public land ownership across the state. Use the zoom function to find specific information for a particular location.

This information below provides an overview of the rules of plant collection* for the largest swaths of public land in Montana and/or the places people are most likely to want to wildcraft: national forests and wilderness areas (concentrated in the western part of the state), BLM land (the bulk of which is in the eastern part of the state), national parks, state land, and tribal land.

Scroll below to learn plant collection regulations for these public land entities.

*Please note that Montana state law requires written permission if you intend to re-sell wildcrafted plants or products made from collected plants. You can read the laws regarding the sale and transport of wildcrafted plant products  here .

There are many other parcels of public land (federal land like national wildlife refuges and Bureau of Reclamation areas, state forests, and city and county land) with their own sets of plant harvesting rules. I am unable to provide wildcrafting information or resources for every single public land entity.* Before collecting plants, please learn the land management regulations of the area where you intend to gather.

If you are considering collecting plants on private land, always get permission first. To find out who owns the land you are on (public or private), visit  Montana Cadastral .

*I am also currently unable to provide information about the use of herbicides or pesticides on public land. Please contact the federal or state agency who manages the land for up-to-date information regarding spraying.

Swipe through the slideshow below to find resources for:

• Botany and plant identification information
• Ethnobotany and culturally significant plants
• Community plant education in Missoula and beyond