On 14 July, the Chamber of Deputies unanimously approved a new law which establishes a framework for all activities in the Grand Duchy's 92,000 hectares of forest.
As of 2023, half of Luxembourg's forest area is privately owned, the other half is public (i.e. it belongs to the state or to a municipality). The most significant change brought about by the law is that everyone now has access to the forest, regardless of its ownership.
Joe Ducomble of the Ministry of Environment explains this in more detail: owners of a forest space no longer get to close their property to the public; all trails are to remain open. Anything else would simply be antiquated, he believes.
Naturally, this new access to all 92,000 hectares of forest also takes liability into consideration. According to Ducomble, the law clearly stipulates that forest owners are now only liable for accidents caused by their personal error.
Another significant change is that private individuals can now legally pick and collect forest products - as long as they do so in small quantities. Ducomble further explains: "I can go pick a quantity of mushrooms to prepare a mushroom toast in the evening, but not so many that I could start commercial activities with them."
So exactly can be foraged? Anything, with the exception of objects falling under nature conservation, as well as wood. The extraction of wood remains reserved to the forest manager, Ducomble reminds us.
Read more about foraging and mushroom hunting in our Luxembourg Insider series.
