The twisted, gnarled bulb looks like something you might throw into the trash. But a single ginseng root can fetch hundreds or even thousands of dollars in China. This “goldmine” herb has become a cash crop, attracting poachers who want to make a quick buck.
In the forests of western Pennsylvania, Denny Colwell has been growing ginseng for 40 years. His roots are forest-grown, the most valuable type of ginseng. That makes his ginseng crop a target for thieves. The plants’ distinctive three-big-and-two-small leaflets and red berries make them easy for poachers to find.
Once upon a time, ginseng was bountiful in North America. Native Americans used it as medicine. Since the 1700s, people in the Americas have been shipping it to China where it was already in high demand. In China, people have used the root as medicine to treat a wide variety of illnesses for thousands of years.
Since 1975, an international treaty on endangered plants and animals has protected ginseng. But that hasn’t stopped poachers. Today, wild-growing ginseng is disappearing rapidly from national parks and other public lands. Though it is illegal to harvest ginseng in national parks, scientists tracking its decline attribute its increasing scarcity to poachers.
Mr. Colwell is a third-generation ginseng grower. He says poachers have no regard for the future of ginseng. “A lot of guys don’t go out and just dig one or two older roots. When they see it, they dig it all,” he says. That indifference is what is wiping ginseng out.
“They don’t care about anything but the dollar,” says Colwell.
Growers like Colwell take care of their crops. They must be patient. Ginseng matures slowly. Roots must be at least five years old before they can be harvested. Experienced growers often wait ten years or longer because the older the root, the more valuable it is.
It can be hard to wait. Deer and rodents destroy some roots. But poachers are the biggest problem. Mr. Colwell often gets up in the middle of the night during harvest to check on his crop. Hidden cameras stream images to his computer. Mr. Colwell has gotten footage of poachers, but the thieves haven’t been caught. He estimates that he’s lost at least $100,000 worth of roots and seeds over the past five years.
Mr. Colwell is now part of a program that certifies ginseng as forest-grown and conservationist. The program labels ginseng in such a way that American consumers can buy it knowing their purchase isn’t contributing to illegal harvesting.
Even with the new program, Mr. Colwell doubts many people will jump into the ginseng business because of the rampant poaching. “It’s a major impediment,” he says.
