<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:v = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:st1 =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"><HEAD><TITLE>Press Release For Immediate Release</TITLE>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type
content="text/html; charset=unicode"><o:SmartTagType name="PlaceType"
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType
name="PlaceName"
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType
name="Street"
namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType
name="place" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
downloadurl="http://www.5iantlavalamp.com/"></o:SmartTagType><o:SmartTagType
name="PersonName" namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
downloadurl="http://www.microsoft.com"></o:SmartTagType>
<STYLE>st1\:* {
BEHAVIOR: url(#default#ieooui)
}
</STYLE>
<STYLE>
<!--
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
h3
{margin-top:12.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:3.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:13.0pt;
font-family:Arial;}
p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoList, li.MsoList, div.MsoList
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:.25in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-indent:-.25in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText
{margin-top:0in;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:6.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
pre
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";}
span.EmailStyle22
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:Arial;
color:navy;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:45.0pt 1.0in 63.0pt 1.0in;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</STYLE>
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16587" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY lang=EN-US vLink=purple link=blue bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000 size=4>Dear
Penny,</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000
size=4></FONT></EM></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000 size=4>Through our semiannual
Tonnage Survey, AHPA does keep track of the quantities of certain North
American herbs in commerce. Most of them are wild harvested but for those that
are cultivated we identify these quantities also.
</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000
size=4></FONT></EM></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000 size=4>We do not currently
delineate the organic from conventional production. I can see how this might be
helpful data and may be considered in future surveys.
</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000
size=4></FONT></EM></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000 size=4>Thank you for
asking.</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000
size=4></FONT></EM></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><EM><FONT face=MingLiU color=#008000 size=4>Genuinely,<BR>Edward J.
Fletcher<BR>American Herbal Products Association's<BR>Chairman of the Board of
Trustees &<BR>Botanical Raw Materials Committee<BR><A
href="http://www.ahpa.org">www.ahpa.org</A> <BR><A
href="mailto:Efletcher@StrategicSourcingInc.net">Efletcher@StrategicSourcingInc.net</A><BR>828.898.7642<BR>fax.898.7647</FONT></EM></STRONG></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From: </B>penny@pinenut.com<BR><B>Sent:
</B>1/25/2008 1:35 PM<BR><B>To: </B>Karen Robin;
mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org<BR><B>Subject: </B>Re: [MPWG] AHPA Submits
Comments on Special Forest Products andProposed Fees<BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Does AHPA track of certified organic product
sold?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Thank you for posting this.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Penny</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=KRobin@ahpa.org href="mailto:KRobin@ahpa.org">Karen Robin</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org
href="mailto:mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org">mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, January 25, 2008 12:14
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [MPWG] AHPA Submits Comments
on Special Forest Products andProposed Fees</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt">AHPA Submits Comments on
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Special</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Forest</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> Products and
Proposed Fees<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">(January 25, 2008) — The American Herbal Products
Association (AHPA) has submitted comments to the USDA Forest Service in
response to that agency’s proposed rule governing the sale and disposal of
nontimber forest products that are harvested on National Forest System
lands. The proposed rule, which was issued last October, sets requirements
for the Forest Service to monitor such harvests and ensure that they occur
at sustainable levels, and establishes programs for collection of fees from
harvesters. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">“Our National Forests and National Grasslands
provide many commercially valuable plants to the trade,” said AHPA President
<st1:PersonName w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">Michael
McGuffin</st1:Street></st1:PersonName>. “AHPA and its members are committed
to sustainable use of our plant resources and we applaud the Forest Service
for its management efforts. We are also supportive of reasonable fees that
can be used to manage those resources, but those fees must be established at
levels that do not disrupt the income of individual collectors and other
small businesses that are engaged in sustainable harvest operations.”
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Among its comments to the Forest Service, AHPA
suggested that fees for harvested forest products be calculated at the point
of harvest, rather than further along the distribution or value-added chain,
and that these fees should be 3 percent of each product’s value at the point
of harvest. AHPA also suggested that existing resources should be used in
both monitoring and pricing activities. These include AHPA’s tonnage
surveys, the AHPA/AHP Good Agricultural and Collection Practice for Herbal
Raw Materials(1), and the ISSC-MAP(2).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Federal Register notice for the Forest Service’s
proposed rule can be downloaded at: <A
href="http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-20658.pdf">http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-20658.pdf</A>.<FONT
color=navy><SPAN
style="COLOR: navy"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">AHPA’s comments are available <FONT
color=black><SPAN style="COLOR: black">are at:</SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=navy><SPAN style="COLOR: navy"> <A
href="http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/pdfs/08_0122_AHPAComments_USFS.pdf">http://www.ahpa.org/Portals/0/pdfs/08_0122_AHPAComments_USFS.pdf</A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><I><U><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-STYLE: italic">Notes:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></U></I></P>
<P class=MsoFootnoteText><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">1) Jointly published in December 2006 by AHPA and
the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, this document is available at <A
href="http://www.ahpa.org/portals/0/pdfs/06_1208_AHPA-AHP_GACP.pdf">http://www.ahpa.org/portals/0/pdfs/06_1208_AHPA-AHP_GACP.pdf</A>.<B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">2) International Standards for Sustainable wild
Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, available at <A
href="http://www.floraweb.de/proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.pdf">http://www.floraweb.de/proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.pdf</A></SPAN></FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>PCA's
Medicinal Plant Working Group mailing
list<BR>MPWG@lists.plantconservation.org<BR>http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org<BR><BR>To
unsubscribe, send an e-mail to MPWG-request@lists.plantconservation.org with
the word "unsubscribe" in the subject
line.<BR>
<BR>Disclaimer
<BR>Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc.
reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The
information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a
substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical
condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information that is
discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the individual reader
and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not reflect any
official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation Alliance.
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>No virus found in this incoming message.<BR>Checked by AVG Free
Edition. <BR>Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.9/1238 - Release
Date: 1/22/2008 8:12 PM<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>