By Molly Kirk/DWR
This time of year, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Conservation Police Officers (CPOs) protect natural resources like dove, bear, deer, turkey, and ginseng by ensuring that people hunting for them abide by established regulations. “Wait, ginseng?” you might ask? But yes, ginseng is one of Virginia’s prized natural resources that CPOs monitor the harvest of.
“Asian markets want our native ginseng because it is the largest population in the world and it is still vibrant and active and not farmed,” said Senior Officer Tim Bostic, who has done a lot of work in DWR’s ginseng enforcement. “They’ve basically depleted all the wild resource in those countries, so they are now actively seeking it here in the States for culinary and medicinal value. There are people who will go out and collect it, then sell it, and ultimately, it ends up overseas.”
What exactly is ginseng (Panax quinquefolius)? It’s one of the most popular herbal medicines in the world and used as treatments in Asia and North America for centuries. Wild ginseng is listed as a threatened plant under Virginia’s Endangered Plant and Insect Species Act. The plant’s harvest and purchase are tightly regulated by the Virginia Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) to ensure the continued viability of this threatened plant.
Those looking to harvest wild ginseng in Virginia can only do so between September 1 and December 31, and harvest from federally and state-owned land is prohibited. The removal of ginseng plants from locality-owned lands is generally prohibited without obtaining written permission beforehand. Harvesting wild ginseng from private land requires the individual to obtain permission in writing from the landowner before removing any ginseng plants or plant parts, and also to carry the permission with them while searching or digging for ginseng.
In addition, the ginseng must be of a certain age to be harvested legally. Wild ginseng may not be harvested if it is younger than five years of age; has fewer than four stem scars present on its rhizome; or has fewer than three prongs. Additionally, a person who harvests wild ginseng must plant the seeds of the harvested plant at the harvest site at the time of harvest.
“The number one place that we see violations is harvesting during closed season,” said Bostic. “Typically, the plant in Virginia does not flower or produce its red berry until the end of August. As soon as it starts making the red berry, they find it and harvest it too soon. Or when it pops up in the spring, they find it while they’re mushroom hunting. The other issue is that, by code, you’re required to harvest only a plant that is mature.”
Wild ginseng is actually big business in Virginia. In 2018, VDACS reported that there were 1,995 pounds harvested in Virginia, which would translate to a sales value of approximately $1.2 million. But law enforcement believes that those numbers underrepresent the amount of ginseng taken from Virginia. “We’ve had a drop in the actual pounds that were reported since 2018,” Bostic said. In 2020, we had 1,622 pounds reported. And then in 2021, we had 1,512 pounds reported. It’s just a $10 permit, so we have buyers that come from other states, harvest ginseng here, and then report their totals through their state.”
Bostic organized law enforcement training events in 2022 and 2024, where he hosted trainings on ginseng enforcement. Each fall, there are a number of reported ginseng offenses. In 2023, CPO Jasemine Greene received a Colonel’s Challenge Coin commendation for investigating a case of illegal harvest and possession of ginseng taken out of season and from U.S. Forest Service Property. Officer Greene surveilled the identified suspects for more than 60 hours over the course of several weeks. She also coordinated with two additional districts, outside of her Region 4, to set cameras where the subject was supposedly harvesting ginseng. Due to her efforts, information was able to be corroborated and a search warrant was able to be obtained. On August 30, 2023, the search of the suspect’s residence yielded a cache of ginseng admittedly taken from National Forest. In total, more than seven pounds of dry ginseng was recovered and state and federal charges made.