The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced an action designed to help ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of American wild ginseng. Effective immediately for the 1999 harvest, the agency will issue export permits only for mature wild ginseng roots. The new provisions do not affect the more than 2 million pounds of cultivated ginseng roots exported from the United States every year. Since ginseng plants begin to produce seed after 5 years, it is critical that only mature plants be harvested to ensure their replacement and the long-term survival of the species. The age of a ginseng plant can be determined by counting the number of bud scars on its root. A single scar is produced every autumn after the plants stem falls. Mature plants are easily identified in the field because they typically have three or more leaves (prongs). The Services goal is to make certain that underage plants are not removed from the wild before they produce seeds.
Ginseng is an herbaceous perennial found in the understory of mixed hardwood forests of the northeastern, midwestern, and southeastern United States and in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is long-lived, with a life expectancy of at least 60 years. Biologists are concerned that ginseng is not being allowed to reach maturity in the wild and that very few older plants remain.
In its effort to determine the status of wild ginseng populations and monitor the wild harvest, the Service is working in close cooperation with the States, the scientific community, and other Federal agencies such as the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Recent reports indicate that wild ginseng may be declining throughout much of its North American range. Until now, it was believed that the wild ginseng populations found in national parks and national forests were healthy. However, new information provided by the National Park Service reveals that the species is declining in spite of the fact that collecting ginseng within the parks is unlawful. For example, although Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee is important ginseng habitat that was believed to be secure, populations in the park have recently been found to be depleted. Significant poaching of wild ginseng has also been reported.
Similar trends have been reported by U.S. Forest Service botanists in various national forests within the species range. Also, there have been recent declines in the amount of wild ginseng harvested in many states.
Wild ginseng root has been valued for centuries as a medicine in Asia where it is believed to enhance physical and mental vitality. Although ginseng is cultivated extensively, wild roots are preferred and are much more valuable. In 1975, because of the high demand for wild roots, American ginseng was listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty that regulates trade in animals and plants to ensure the survival of wild populations. An Appendix II listing means that export permits must be issued by the country of origin stating that a particular shipment for export was legally collected and that its export is not harmful to the survival of that species in the wild. The Service began approving export of ginseng on a state-by-state basis in 1978.
According to export data collected by the Service, the U.S. legally exported 527,547 pounds of cultivated ginseng roots in 1997. Also in 1997, the U.S. exported 22,929 pounds of wild roots. Virtually all of the ginseng harvested in the United States is exported with the overwhelming majority going directly to Asia (Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia). In addition to helping ensure that wild ginseng plants have at least one season in which to reproduce, the new export condition is aimed at helping States within the species range curb the poaching of wild roots by providing consistent law enforcement throughout the country. Nineteen states have programs approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service for the export of wild ginseng. They are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices, and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to State wildlife agencies.
