Daniel Boone National Forest will not issue any harvesting permits for wild ginseng in the 2022 season. For the past six years forest officials have suspended harvesting of wild ginseng to allow the plant to repopulate.
Our job is to ensure the health, diversity, and productivity of our forest for generations to come, said Daniel Boone National Forest Botanist David Taylor in a statement. By requiring permits for certain at-risk species, we have a way to monitor and control harvesting to ensure there is a healthy forest population.
Ginseng is one of many natural resources in the forest classified as a forest product. Some of these forest products require a permit to be collected, while others are prohibited entirely (like slippery elm bark).
Forest officials have stated that they will not be issuing permits for wild ginseng or orchids this year, but they will be issuing permits for the harvesting of black cohosh, yellowroot and goldenseal.
If youre planning a harvesting trip of your own, park officials ask that you make sure to follow specified harvesting methods outlined in the permit. This ensures the health and productivity of the species population, and there are hefty fines for those caught harvesting incorrectly or without a permit.
Click here for more information on ginseng harvesting from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
And click here to learn more about the Daniel Boone National Forest forest product permit program.
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This article appears in August 31, 2022.