ASHEVILLE, NC (April 25, 2022) – The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests will not issue American ginseng harvest permits until further notice due to low population levels observed through monitoring and surveys.
After 250 years of commercial harvest, wild ginseng levels are too low to be sustainably harvested. It may take several years to increase local populations. Ginseng harvest has been part of Appalachian culture for generations, and for some individuals selling the ginseng root has been a way of life. And, between regular digging in the fall and poaching in the summer the plant is being endangered.
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