Natural materials and sennegrass

Natural materials — stone, moss, lichen, holly, birch bark, bark — have a status of their own under the Norwegian right to roam (allemannsrett). Unlike berries, mushrooms and herbs, these are not automatically covered by the right to pick under friluftsloven § 5. They require the landowner’s permission for gathering in quantity. Even so, there is a practical opening: friluftsloven also covers ‘small quantities of natural products of little or no value’ — such as a stone for a collection, moss for a Christmas decoration, or a few shells on the beach.

For anyone wanting to extend their friluftsliv to natural materials, the most important thing is to understand the distinction. Personal use in small quantities is mostly fine, particularly of materials that are abundantly available. Commercial gathering or gathering in quantity requires an agreement with the landowner. Rare species (red-listed mosses, lichens, or other species) are protected regardless of ownership.

Within this category, sennegrass stands in a category entirely of its own. Sennegrass is a group of sedge species — bottle sedge, water sedge, and sennegrass itself — that has been an insulating material in Sámi komager (boots) for several hundred years. It is a living cultural practice that is still active, and one that ties gathering to Sámi tradition in a wholly distinct way.

What counts as natural materials

Friluftsloven distinguishes between three categories:

The right to roam (friluftsloven § 5) — you may pick freely without permission:

Wild berries
Flowers
Mushrooms
Roots of wild herbs
Nuts (only to eat on the spot, not to take home)

Requires the landowner’s permission for gathering in quantity:

Stone and minerals
Peat
Moss
Lichen
Holly
Tæger (a classic Sámi material from spruce roots)
Never (birch bark)
Bark (from other trees)

Small quantities of little value — may be taken without permission to a limited extent:

Shells and seaweed
Small stones
A small bundle of moss for home use
Dead trees and roots for sculpture or decoration
Small amounts of lichen for handicraft

For anyone new: if you gather materials for personal decoration or handicraft in quantities you can carry yourself, you are usually within what the law accepts as ‘small quantities’. If you gather for sale, commercial use, or in industrial quantities, that requires an agreement with the landowner.

Sennegrass — a Sámi traditional material

Sennegrass (Northern Sámi: gámasuoidni) is a group of sedge species that has been used as insulation in traditional Sámi footwear (komager/skaller) for several hundred years. Botanically it is:

Bottle sedge (Carex rostrata)
Water sedge (Carex aquatilis)
Bladder sedge (Carex vesicaria) — the species that botanically bears the name sennegrass

How sennegrass is used:

Sennegrass consists of hollow, fibre-rich stalks that trap air and keep warm even in extreme cold. Traditional Sámi komager (gáma) are of pure hide — without wool lining or other insulating materials. But sennegrass is placed inside the boot before use, and works both as insulation and as a moisture-absorbing layer. After a day in cold conditions the damp sennegrass is taken out, dried overnight, and used again the next day.

Why it works: Hollow sedge fibres trap air, and air is a better insulator than solid material. At the same time the fibres absorb moisture — from sweat, melting snow, or wet terrain — so that the foot stays dry and warm. Compared with modern dry liners or down insulation, sennegrass is robust, locally available, and works in extreme cold and wet terrain.

Gathering and processing:

Traditional gathering takes place in late summer or early autumn, before the first frost. The stalks are cut off, dried (air-dried in a barn or under a roof for several weeks), and combed/braided into the finished form. Each komag has the sennegrass shaped to the correct form and volume.

Today there are fewer families practising traditional sennegrass gathering, but the practice is still active among Sámi craftspeople and some Norwegian craftspeople who have taken up the tradition. The University of Tromsø (UiT) and the Sámi University of Applied Sciences have documented the tradition.

For anyone interested: Sámi cultural centres and museums (Karasjok, Kautokeino, Tromsø) have permanent exhibitions on the gáma and sennegrass. Komager with genuine sennegrass can be bought from Sámi craftspeople — they are more expensive than modern footwear, but have a craftsmanship quality entirely of their own.

More on reindeer husbandry and Sámi culture gives more context to sennegrass as part of Sámi tradition.

Other traditional natural materials

Norwegian craft tradition has used a range of other natural materials:

Never (birch bark) — classic for mats, baskets, and roof covering. Gathered in strips during the summer. Requires the landowner’s permission.

Tæger (spruce roots) — a traditional Sámi material used for binding and braiding. Gathered from spruce roots by streams or bogs.

Moss and lichen — for decoration, Christmas decor, handicraft. Reindeer lichen (Cladonia rangiferina) is classic for landscape models and Christmas stars.

Stone — from beaches and streams. Classic for garden decor, jewellery, art. ‘Small quantities’ is interpreted as permitted.

Twigs and bark from dead trees — can be used for sculpture, handicraft. Standing dead trees are the landowner’s property; loose twigs on the ground are usually of ‘little value’.

Cones — not specifically regulated. Used for Christmas wreaths, decoration. General picking in utmark.

For anyone wanting to expand into handicraft: contact a local craft association or museum. Traditional craftspeople are usually open to teaching newcomers, but it requires respect for tradition and knowledge.

Nesting season and protected areas

Even for ‘law-based’ natural materials there are restrictions in particular periods and areas:

Nesting season (April–July) — a general duty of care for birdlife. Do not disturb nesting birds when gathering in open terrain.

Protected areas — separate regulations. Many nature reserves have picking restrictions for moss, lichen, and other materials.

Rare species — certain mosses, lichens, and other species are red-listed. Check Artsdatabanken if you gather materials for handicraft.

The cloudberry-land principle — in Nordland, Troms and Finnmark the landowner may impose a picking ban for commercially gathered materials (cloudberries are the classic example; sennegrass may similarly be restricted in certain areas).

Ethics

Ethics for natural materials:

Do not take everything — let areas regenerate. Moss and lichen grow extremely slowly (lichen: 1–5 mm per year).

Do not harm growing plants — cut above the root, do not pull up. Let new shoots come.

Local consideration — popular areas may be over-gathered. Spread yourself out.

Cultural respect — particularly for sennegrass and other Sámi traditional materials. Do not gather without local connection and knowledge.

Protected areas — check the regulations before every gathering.

For more detail: foraging ethics.

Safety

Natural-material gathering safety:

Falling timber — when gathering birch bark or other bark, be alert to movement in the crown of the tree. Do not station relatives or others below.

Moss and lichen areas can be slippery, particularly in mountain terrain. Ordinary mountain safety applies.

Stone — do not take from structures whose stability you cannot assess. Solid stone on land is safe; loose stones beneath slopes can be unstable.

Rare species — check identification before you gather. Natural materials are not immediately dangerous, but illegal gathering of red-listed species can result in fines.

Next steps

If gathering natural materials is new to you: join a local culture school or craft course. Local craftspeople (particularly Sámi craftspeople in Northern Norway) are knowledge hubs.

If you have gathered a little and want to expand: invest in a good species guide for moss, lichen, or whatever materials you focus on. Contact a local botanist or museum for guidance.

For sennegrass and Sámi handicraft: visit Sámi cultural centres in Karasjok, Kautokeino, or Tromsø. More context through reindeer husbandry and Sámi culture.

For related topics: seaweed and sea plants is another ‘landowner’s permission’ category. Foraging ethics covers ethical perspectives more broadly.

Learn more

Text: Snuitide (2026).