The pine nut harvest is forecast to be pretty good in central and eastern Nevada this year, and that forecast led to the Bureau of Land Management’s annual pine nut auction bringing in $35,125 for 144,500 pounds for potential commercial harvest. Harvest units in the Battle Mountain and Ely districts were sold during the oral auction conducted on Aug. 16 in Ely, Nevada.
Commercial bidders must speculate on the probability of the pine nut crop. They pay a price per pound, this year the bids were all 25 cents per pound, but there is no guarantee they will be able to harvest the total pounds purchased. Additionally, commercial harvesters must agree to a number of stipulations, one of which is to allow the public to harvest pine nuts for personal use within the sale area.
Members of the public may collect up to 25 pounds of pine nuts per person for free. There is a 25 cent per pound charge over 25 pounds. Â Maps and information for recreational harvesting are available at each BLM district office.
Woodland products on public lands in Nevada provide an economic value at the commercial level, particularly for fence posts, firewood and biomass chips. But these woodland products also provide a quality of life benefit. Friends and families go on outings to gather firewood and pine nuts. Many families have cherished memories of outings to cut their Christmas tree. The public lands provide a multitude of resources for the benefit of all Americans. These lands are an asset to the nation and especially benefit local communities where citizens have the opportunity to use the public lands every day.
