As hungry morel enthusiasts head to the spring woods to collect their favorite fungi, Department of Natural Resources forest recreation officials ask they keep conservation and courtesy in mind.

Although many factors contribute to the production of mushrooms, some mushroom hunters have expressed concern that people are overharvesting the fungi, either by raking the ground to expose all specimens or by plucking the whole mushroom.

Dr. Tim James, a mycologist at the University of Michigan, said "It's good that people are concerned about the future.

"If you are going to harvest a morel you should cut it off slightly above the soil, simply so you don't have a lot of dirt on the specimen," James said.

Similarly, James advises against raking the forest floor since it "would probably have a negative impact on the forest in general and the ecology of the forest," he said.

In addition, mushroom hunters must be certain they can identify morels. If you don't know what you are picking, don't pick it.

"There are some false morels that are poisonous and if you don't know what you're doing you shouldn't be out there," James cautioned. "People have certainly gotten sick and died from eating false morels."

Mushroom hunters who use off-road vehicles to get back into state forest lands are reminded that ORV use in the Lower Peninsula is restricted to designated and signed trails, routes and use areas. To find suitable ORV trails that will take you to the general vicinity of where you'd like to begin your search, check out the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Persons who use state forest lands for camping are reminded they must fill out and post a camp registration card, available at most DNR offices.