Pennsylvania has exported about 1,000 pounds of dried roots like this one over the past decade. Researchers are now trying to understand how it all came from. Since most Pennsylvania forestlands are private, harvesting from public lands cannot be done. Credit: Eric Burkhart, Penn State
According to Penn State researchers, there are good and bad news regarding ginseng production and collection in Pennsylvania and possibly much of Appalachia.
It seems that many collectors are planting trees to preserve and increase wild populations of endangered forest herbs. On the other side, they often purchase seeds online from places like Wisconsin. These seeds are usually grown in shaded fields with fertilizer inputs. This germplasm could weaken the plant's ability to thrive in Appalachian forests.
Eric Burkhart, an associate professor of ecosystem science management at the College of Agricultural Sciences, led the research.
Researchers wanted to find out how many people were planting ginseng and whether the "wild" ginseng that people are selling is actually wild. This research was done to better inform conservation and promotion of forest farming.
"With Pennsylvania exporting approximately 1,000 pounds of dried Ginseng roots every year for the past decade, we're trying better understand where it's coming from. Since most Pennsylvania forestlands are private, harvesting from public lands is prohibited," Burkhart said. Burkhart is also program director of Appalachian Botany and ethnobotany at Penn State's Shaver's Creek Environmental Center.
Pennsylvania forest farmers often purchase seeds online from outside the state. This germplasm could lead to a decrease in the plant's ability to survive in Appalachian forests. Credit: Eric Burkhart, Penn State
The researchers used an anonymous, eight-year survey to gather data on ginseng sales in Pennsylvania. They wanted to determine if forest farming or commercially obtained seeds had any impact on wild ginseng harvest.
The researchers recently published findings in Economic Botany that revealed that almost three-quarters of ten ginseng root vendors admitted that some of their ginseng was grown using forest farming methods that involve scattering seeds in forests. The researchers found that more than one-fourth of the planters used commercially available seed stock in their efforts.
Researchers also found that there was a geographic overlap between the top wild ginseng harvest county and study participants, which suggests that planting activities contribute to higher harvest amounts.
Burkhart, who was able to put the research in context, pointed out that ginseng had been included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES Treaty) since 1975. The United States has been a party to that treaty since 1975. Fish and Wildlife Service demands that ginseng-producing countries have a legal export program, with some restrictions such as a harvest period.
Burkhart stated that there has been a steady growth in ginseng and forest farming in recent decades. Seeds are purchased from various sources, including commercial.
This is a ginseng "garden", which can be found in an Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, private forest plot. The endangered forest herb is being increasingly cultivated for its medicinal properties. Credit: Dennis Colwell
He said that it was difficult to track the industry's growth and the contributions to Pennsylvania's 'wild' exports because many in the ginseng sector have concerns or reservations about government involvement and tracking. "We know many landowners and ginseng diggers plant seed, but we are concerned about sharing this information transparently due to a hesitancy to report ginseng-planting activities in buyer paperwork that they submit each year to the state."
Burkhart explained that landowners and ginseng dggers are afraid of price devaluation and theft, and often disagree about what is truly wild plant material. He said, "The result is that we have many Ginseng producers who don’t want to claim they planted ginseng seeds."
Burkhart claims that buyers often mix planted material with wildspontaneously occuringmaterial. They are receiving "wild" prices because Asian customers and consumers view the forest-farmed material as being very similar in quality.
He said, "We will continue to work together with all stakeholders to find a way of supporting and tracking the continued growth of the forest-farming sector by better aligning Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources ginseng program to current realities, concerns and requirements expressed by Pennsylvanians." "To this end, we continue to conduct this annual planting survey in an effort to help inform ginseng conservation and forest farming in Pennsylvaniaincluding how to address a growing demand for Pennsylvania sourced and adapted planting stock."
Continue reading Plant scientist works with landowners and law enforcement to protect Ginseng
More information: Eric P. Burkhart and colleagues, Neither wild nor cultivated: American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.). Seller Surveys Offer Insights into in-situ Planting and Husbandry1, Economic Botany (2021). Eric P. Burkhart and colleagues, Neither wild nor cultivated: American Ginseng. (PanaxquinquefoliusL.) Seller surveys provide insight into in situ planting and husbandry1. DOI: 10.1007/s12231-021-09521-8
