Submitted by Olympic National Forest
Olympic National Forest has announced four dates on which permits for commercial salal collection will be sold. A total of 100 permits will be available on each of the sale days, divided among different harvest areas.
Permits will be issued from the Forks, Quinault, and Quilcene district offices during business hours on the following dates:
- September 10, 2014
- November 5, 2014
- January 7, 2015
- March 18, 2015
On each sale day, 50 permits will be offered from the Quilcene office for harvest areas located within Mason County and the east side of Clallam and Jefferson counties; 25 permits will be offered from the Forks office for the west side of Clallam County; and 25 permits will be offered from the Lake Quinault office for harvest areas within Grays Harbor County and the west side of Jefferson County.
Harvest unit boundaries are defined by roads or recognizable land features. A map of the harvest areas will be distributed with the sale of each permit. Permit holders will be limited to no more than 200 hands per day (1 hand = approx. 20 – 25 stems). The Forest Service recommends that salal harvesters wear at least one piece of high-visibility clothing while in the woods.
A lottery system will be used if the demand for permits exceeds the supply. Each permit will cost $150 and can be used for up to two months. A valid United States picture identification will be required at the time of purchase and those buying the permits must be at least 18 years of age. Cash or checks only will be accepted; credit and debit cards will not be accepted. Only one permit may be purchased per person per sale day.
Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is an understory shrub commonly used in the floral industry. It grows in dense thickets throughout western Washington and Oregon. For additional information about salal permit sales, please contact Chris Dowling, Special Forest Products Program Manager, at 360-956-2272. For general information about Olympic National Forest, visithttp://www.fs.fed.us/r6/olympic.
