[MPWG] wild ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) harvest

[Patricia_Ford at fws.gov]

2005 AMERICAN GINSENG (Panax quinquefolius) HARVEST
      For the 2005 harvest season, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) will issue export permits only for wild ginseng roots that are at

least 10 years old.  The new provision does not affect the half-million

pounds of cultivated ginseng roots exported from the United States every

year, which constitutes about 85-90% of U.S. exports of ginseng.  The

Service had previously limited exports to roots at least 5 years of age,

but has now determined that this does not allow plants to remain in the

wild long enough to contribute substantially to the production of new

plants.

      Ginseng plants generally produce seed by 4-5 years of age, but

actually become more productive with age.  It is critical that plants be

harvested only once they have matured and have had an opportunity to

reproduce such that seed production and growth of new plants is adequate to

sustain the long-term survival of the species.  Ginseng is long lived, with

a life expectancy of 30 or more years.  Recent studies have shown that

ginseng is not being allowed to reach maturity in the wild, that few older

plants remain, and that overall population size is decreasing.

      In 1975, because of the high demand for wild roots, American ginseng

was listed in 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, which must determine that a particular shipment for export was

legally acquired and that the export will not be detrimental 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 United States

legally exported approximately a half-million pounds of cultivated ginseng

roots in 2004.  Also in 2004, the United States exported approximately

60,000 pounds of wild roots. Virtually all of the ginseng harvested in the

United States is exported, with the overwhelming majority going directly to

Asia (mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan).

      In addition to helping ensure that wild ginseng plants have

sufficient time to reproduce, the new export condition is aimed at helping

States within the species’ range to stem the poaching of wild roots by

providing consistent law enforcement throughout the country.   Nineteen

states have been previously 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.



To read the actual non-detriment finding made by the Service's Division of
Scientific Authority, go to:

 http://www.fws.gov/international/pdf/2005ginsengfinding.pdf

If you have any questions about the scientific finding, please contact the
Division of Scientific Authority, e-mail: scientificauthority at fws.gov.  For
questions on permit procedures, please contact the Division of Management
Authority, e-mail: managementauthority at fws.gov.