No-Picking Zones
Caution and Judgment When Foraging for Edible Mushrooms and Plants
In addition to always ensuring the proper identification and safety of the mushrooms and plants you harvest, it’s essential to avoid picking these edibles in areas that may contain toxic substances or render them unsafe for consumption.
Here are a few examples of such sites. This list is not exhaustive and serves as a reminder to foragers to exercise caution and judgment to avoid any food poisoning risks. Be vigilant and well-informed while foraging to ensure your safety.
Highways and Main Roads
The edges of highways and main roads should be avoided due to:
- Vehicle pollution: Emissions from cars and trucks.
- Maintenance products: Chemicals used for road maintenance.
Power Line Corridors
Avoid power line, gas pipeline, and oil pipeline corridors due to the application of silvicides used to control shrub vegetation either on the ground or by aerial spraying.
Railways
Avoid railways and their surroundings due to the use of silvicides to control shrub vegetation. Harvested products may be affected by these chemicals, whose persistence in the soil is unknown.
Former Industrial Sites
Former industrial sites and their surroundings should be avoided for foraging due to the presence of contaminants. For example, even revitalized mine tailings parks may contain arsenic, cyanides, and other toxic substances. Knowing that mushrooms can concentrate heavy metals, this makes them dangerous for human consumption, so they should be avoided.
Dump Sites and Landfills
Avoid dumps and landfills, as well as their surroundings, due to the presence of toxic or undesirable products that can contaminate nearby areas.
Pollution Plumes in Waterways
Pollution plumes in waterways, caused by current or former sites, affect their banks for dozens of kilometers downstream. Avoid foraging for plants or mushrooms near polluted waterways to prevent toxic contamination risks..
Residential Lawns and Public Spaces
The lawns surrounding our homes, as well as those covering the ground in parks, urban boulevards, and campgrounds, are often exposed to various contaminants.
Persistent contamination: The areas closest to us are often the most contaminated. The presence of undesirable products and pesticides can persist in the soil for years, making these zones potentially hazardous for foraging or other outdoor activities. Here are a few risk factors:
- Pets: Dogs and cats frequenting these spaces can contribute to contamination.
- Human presence: Constant human activity can introduce various pollutants.
- Gasoline-powered lawnmowers: These can spread chemicals into the environment.
- Pesticides and undesirable products: These substances, often used to maintain green spaces, can be harmful.
Farms
Mushrooms and Pesticides:
Mushrooms can concentrate chemicals that are harmful to human health. Therefore, it’s crucial to know the history of the land and to respect safety intervals to minimize risks. Farms using synthetic pesticides to control weeds and insects present several hazards:
- Safety intervals: Farmers must respect waiting periods between pesticide application and harvest. These intervals are often unknown when mushrooms are harvested nearby.
- Product persistence: Pesticides can remain in the soil longer than on plant foliage, and their usage history is often unknown.
Orchards
Orchards that use synthetic pesticides pose health risks:
Symbiosis with trees: Mushrooms can fruit under apple and other fruit trees because they live in symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi such as morels, porcini, boletes, and high-quality gilled mushrooms. These areas should be avoided unless they have been organically farmed for at least three years. If these mushrooms are contaminated by pesticides, they become hazardous to human health.
Airborne Pollution
Airborne pollution plumes caused by factory smoke affect vegetation and soils for kilometers, especially on the side opposite to the prevailing winds.
For example, the Châteaudun woodland, an area east of the City of Trois-Rivières, can be contaminated by industrial pollution coming from the west side of the city. Avoid picking mushrooms or plants near areas affected by airborne pollution to reduce the risk of toxic contamination.