The Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia (WV) is kick-starting the U.S. ginseng marketing season by issuing permits. This is in anticipation of the 2024 harvest that runs from September 1 to November 30.

In a PR statement on August 19, the forestry service stated that licenses will be available from August 26.

The permit, whose 2024 cost is $20, guarantees licensees 95 wild roots in a single ranger station per season.

For those who will be collecting roots on private land, acquiring permission from land proprietors will be mandatory.

Comparisons with 2023 Season

In the 2023 season, licenses for resident collectors cost $15.75 while those for out-of-state diggers amounted to $30.75.

But while diggers could previously purchase two permits simultaneously, in 2024 one can only acquire one permit at a time.

Like in 2023, each permit in 2024 applies to one district and harvesters will need different permits per jurisdiction.  

Permissible Roots 

Additionally, diggers can only uproot over 5-year old ginseng, preferably plants with three leaves or prongs and which have fruited. For conservation reasons, the forestry department recommends the sowing of fruits of each uprooted plant.

While the quantity allowance is 95 plants per season, West Virginia stipulates a maximum dig of 24 roots a day.

The forestry authorities have also provided against harvesting before the actual September 1 start, to conserve supplies.

Given the herbal root’s importance to the local economy, there are also permits for sales outside the state’s borders.  For instance, dealers with over 8 ounces of the root must apply for a sale license that costs $10.

In marketing terms, dried wild ginseng retails at an average $700 per pound in WV, while cultivated roots average $125.

In short, the U.S. ginseng season is just about to begin along key haunts such as the forest range of West Virginia. To learn more about Virginia’s place in the national ginseng sector, read on the following statistics.

U.S. Ginseng Statistics 

The U.S. is one of four countries, the other China, South Korea and Canada, that produce the bulk of world ginseng. Before 2013, 99.6% or 79,769 tonnes of the world’s fresh ginseng per year came from this quartet. Of a total 80,080 tonnes produced per year before 2013, the United States usually contributed 1.3% or 1,054 tonnes. This is even as South Korea provided the lion’s share at 55.9% or 44,749 tonnes, according to Research Gate. 

How much does ginseng generate from exports? 

The United States ranked fourth in 2022 in ginseng root exports worth $42 million. Only South Korea at $84.1 million, China at $84 million and Canada at $71.4 million, sold more. For imports, the U.S. came fifth worldwide in 2022 at $10.3 million, about a quarter fraction of the export value. 

What is the wholesale value of American ginseng annually? 

Before ginseng reaches external dealers who export it, it first passes from producers to wholesalers. According to the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), such wholesalers amass $27 million a year from ginseng sales. 

How much ginseng does West Virginia (WV) produce as a proportion of national production? 

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) grows in 19 states, but 90% or over 70,000 pounds of federal supplies come from Wisconsin.  In comparison, WV produces around 9,000 pounds per year (2018), according to the West Virginia Division of Forestry.