As the White Dew solar term approaches, the traditional practice of shaking bamboo poles signals the start of the hickory harvest season across multiple areas in Hangzhou, meaning local residents will soon be able to enjoy fresh hickory nuts. Recently, the governments of Lin'an District and Chun'an County have issued official announcements concerning the safe collection and management of hickory nuts, confirming that the harvest will officially commence on September 7th.

Lin'an District's Official Harvest Regulations

The People's Government of Lin'an District, Hangzhou, has issued a notice on strengthening the safe harvesting management of hickory nuts to maintain orderly collection procedures, protect the safety of people's lives and property, and safeguard the interests of forest farmers. The announcement details the management protocols for the 2026 harvest season.

First, the district will adopt a unified harvest start date of September 7th, corresponding to the White Dew period, to ensure collection work is organized and orderly. For production areas where nuts may mature early due to natural conditions, each town will organize safe harvesting activities flexibly based on local circumstances and actual conditions.

Second, all business entities and forest farmers must operate within their own contracted areas according to legal provisions or mutual agreements. It is strictly prohibited to infringe upon the legal rights of others or village collectives, and unauthorized collection from villages or contracted mountain forests where harvesting has not yet been completed is forbidden. In areas designated for returning fruit to forest land, no human activities are permitted, and using herbicides in hickory forests is banned. During collection-related travel, all traffic regulations must be followed, including speed limits, no overloads, no fatigued driving, and no driving under the influence, with strict prevention of road safety accidents.

Third, forest farmers must enhance their safety awareness and implement safety measures. They are required to avoid climbing damaged or hazardous trees, and restrict mountain or tree climbing for elderly individuals, those in poor health, or in adverse conditions such as rainy or slippery weather, alone, after consuming alcohol, or without proper insurance coverage. It is encouraged for farmers to purchase personal accident insurance for the harvest and to adopt natural fruit drop collection methods or net-based harvesting techniques.

Fourth, after the collection period begins, fruit picking and purchasing must be conducted lawfully and orderly, with transparent transactions. Depressing purchase prices, forced buying and selling, and similar practices are strictly prohibited. Business entities must operate with integrity and fair dealing to uphold market order. Comprehensive protective measures will be implemented, with increased patrol efforts and strict legal actions against theft and mobbing of hickory nuts, ensuring the lawful rights of farmers are protected.

Fifth, production area towns and villages need to strengthen risk inspections and supervision throughout the collecting, picking, and transporting process. Public security, market supervision, agriculture and rural affairs departments will coordinate their efforts to jointly maintain the collection order. Health departments must prepare emergency supplies and arrange medical personnel in advance to ensure timely treatment of any injuries, while meteorological departments will provide weather forecasts and relevant information services during the season. Any violations of this notice, such as unauthorized harvesting or disruption of collection order, will be seriously dealt with by the local town governments and relevant departments to ensure harmony and stability in the production areas.

Chun'an County's Collection Safety Guidelines

Meanwhile, the People's Government of Chun'an County has also issued a similar notice on safely managing the 2026 hickory nut harvest. To strengthen safety management and ensure the high quality of the nuts, the county will also uniformly initiate the harvest on September 7th, 2026.

Regarding pre-harvest management, farmers are encouraged to clear forest land manually or with machinery and to control weeds through human labor rather than chemical means. The use of broad-spectrum, non-selective chemical herbicides like glyphosate and paraquat is banned, along with highly toxic and high-residue pesticides, in order to prevent soil and non-point source pollution.

In terms of standardizing the collection process, complete protective and management measures will be implemented with strict crackdowns on theft. Forest farmers must respect and adhere to the mountain forest boundaries defined between towns, villages, and households for their respective contracted properties. It is prohibited to infringe upon others' legal rights or to pick fallen nuts from areas where harvesting has not been completed by other villages or households. Town governments and village committees should organize front-line patrols to promptly resolve any disputes. Processing enterprises, sales units, and individuals must engage in orderly purchasing with transparent transactions, and are not allowed to lower grades, depress prices, or force transactions.

The county has also outlined “six prohibitions” for safe harvesting. First, climbing trees for collection without wearing safety belts is forbidden. Second, collecting during rainy conditions when trees are slippery is prohibited. Third, standing on diseased, insect-infested, or young branches while collecting is banned. Fourth, elderly individuals, children, the infirm, and primary or secondary school students are not allowed to climb mountains or trees for the harvest. Fifth, collecting after consuming alcohol is strictly forbidden. Sixth, climbing trees without participating in insurance coverage is not permitted.

Additionally, strict management of fruit husks is required. Local and immediate husk removal is encouraged with a comprehensive treatment process, and returning the processed husks to the mountain forests is advised. Dumping husks into streams or lakes is strictly forbidden to safeguard the water environment of Qiandao Lake.

The county's public security, market supervision, forestry departments, along with production area town governments, will cooperate to maintain order. The Health Bureau will prepare rescue supplies and arrange medical staff for timely injury assistance. The Meteorological Bureau will provide forecasting and weather services during the collection period. Violations of this notice will be strictly investigated and penalized by the relevant county departments and town governments to ensure a safe, stable and orderly collection process.

Bigger Nuts This Year, Even as Some Already Plan Leave from City Jobs

With the arrival of White Dew, the annual hickory harvest season has arrived, a time of year that holds great significance in Lin'an, given its long history of hickory cultivation. For locals, this solar term marks a highly ceremonial occasion as one swing of the pole brings baskets brimming with fragrant nuts, representing a full year's labor and expectations.

Ye, a worker from Xianrentang Village in Longgang Town, Lin'an, who is employed in Hangzhou's urban area, says, "I've already requested my 'hickory nut holiday' and plan to head home this Sunday to help out and prepare some food in advance." Her family has over 20 mu of hickory trees, cultivated for more than two decades since her parents-in-law's generation. Throughout the year, the elderly couple manages the trees, but as harvest season approaches, younger family members request leave to return home so the entire family can go up the mountain together for the collection. "This is the most important event of the year for people from Lin'an and also a time for family reunion," she says.

As the official collection day draws near, many farmers are already busy in the forests. Wang Liping, a 76-year-old major hickory grower from Baiguo Village in Qingliangfeng Town, oversees more than 500 mu of hickory forest and is arranging the final preparations, which he has been managing for over 20 years. The most important pre-harvest tasks include mowing the grass and setting up collection nets. "Detailed preparation gives us confidence for the harvest period later." His team began mowing in mid-July, followed by laying nets sequentially across the plots, a process completed by mid-August. Wang notes that this year yields are expected to be similar to last year, but the nuts themselves should be slightly larger. With a lack of sustained heat waves or drought in Lin'an, ample rainfall, and no severe typhoon damage to his forest, he believes the quality this year might even surpass last year's. He has already secured over 40 workers for the harvest and is simply waiting for the day to begin.

With full kernels, crisp texture, and rich aroma, fresh hickory nuts carrying the essence of the mountain forests are about to hit the market, offering a taste of the golden autumn season that locals eagerly anticipate.