Foraging native plants: Avoiding Overharvesting

Yesterday, I went foraging for black raspberries and I ended up collecting a handful of ripe berries. I ate most of the berries and extracted the seeds from a few of the berries.
Because this species of black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) is native to my region of Ohio, I am concerned about overharvesting fruit from this plant. A while ago I read a book on foraging by Steve Brill where he covers how to avoid overharvesting of native plants, but I forgot what guidelines he set out in his book.
One way I am trying to avoid exhausing a supply of wild plants is by replantikg seeds of the plant and cultivating them in my yard. (See my other post on germinating black raspberry seeds: https://permies.com/t/141355/Starting-Raspberries-Seed). Eventually, I should have enough black raspberry plants in my yard to not need to forage for them in the wild to enjoy them.

Nice berries. Those same looking Black Raspberries grow here too.

You can dig up some with roots and plant at your place. They spread real quick and re-grow rather quick. Unless the patch is really tiny you can do this and not 'harm' the wild plant, you'd actually be propagating it.

Great looking berries!

If you are foraging any native plant that could use some help, you can scatter seed/propagules around, both where it was naturally occurring as well as dispersing it to nearby locations where it may become established.  This way, you are not depleting the stock and helping it hang on in its natural habitat. :>)

Obviously, maybe not a great idea for non-native invasives; they are managing on their own and don't need any assistance.  :<o

So far, I have already successfully germinated some black raspberry seeds over the winter that I stratified outdoors in pots. They are currently in a larger pot and are awaiting transplanting to a sheltered, south-facing wall of my house. If you haven't seen my post about starting black raspberries from seed, I recommend you read it. (https://permies.com/t/141355/Starting-Raspberries-Seed)

I've always practiced the rule of not harvesting more than 1/3rd of a given wild plant stand. That is for instances where you are taking the whole plant so I'd imagine you could take a bit more of a fruit like this without damaging the population. For something like berries I would look at how important they are as a food source for local critters

Hey there, a lot of people have their personal approach to how much they collect and how much they leave behind for everyone else, which I think is great. But I really love that you are engaging in a directly reciprocal relationship with the plants that are giving you such an incredible gift. By spreading seeds (or roots) you are engaging as an active participant in the landscape that you live on... as indigenous humans had been doing way before colonization. This is how the original "food forests" existed.

The other piece that for me goes beyond percentages etc is really intently observing shifts in my landscape. Are the plants that I am foraging thriving or are they struggling? If they are struggling, can I tend to them in a way that supports them? Eg trimming back "invasive" plants, introducing fire to the landscape, bringing forth policy at the town level to protect threatened areas, or helping usher plants to more appropriate habitats as climate shifts. All of these things are within the realm of possibility when these plants are part of our livelihood. So I guess my point is that just by foraging with consciousness I think you are helping these plants thrive.