Wild plants Apply for authorization for commercial removal, processing or treatment

If you wish to collect wild plants (e.g. wildflowers, blueberries, moss, ferns, lichens, mushrooms, etc.) or parts of them for trade or other commercial purposes, you require permission from the landowner as well as a permit from the authority responsible for nature conservation and landscape management. This is to prevent overexploitation, severe reduction or even eradication of such wild plants. For this reason, the permit can be linked to certain conditions for the protection of wild plants, which can also be withdrawn if you do not comply with them.

Plants within the meaning of the Federal Nature Conservation Act are

• wild plants, plants obtained by artificial propagation and dead plants of wild species,
• seeds, fruits or other developmental forms of plants of wild species,
• readily recognizable parts of plants of wild species and
• readily recognizable products obtained from plants of wild species.

As a commercial collector of wild plants, the permit must always be carried and handed over to the police or regulatory authority for inspection on request.

In addition, the commercial collection of forest products is only permitted with the special permission of the forest owner (state, municipality or private forest owner) and only insofar as the effects of the forest and other legal assets are not impaired. The responsible forestry office may impose a fine for willful or negligent infringement.