Traditionally, timber has been the most common resource present in Nantahala National Forest. However, today a North Carolina man was sentenced to jail time for illegally harvesting the fleshy root known as panax ginseng, or American ginseng.

In traditional Eastern cultures, ginseng is believed to possess unique healing properties such as “heating” to stimulate blood circulation. The root is greatly valued in eastern cultures.

The perpetrator admitted to illegally possessing 24 American ginseng roots he had dug from the Mosses Creek and Wayehutta Off-Road Vehicle areas in Jackson County. The stolen roots were confiscated and replanted in their respective areas.

American ginseng is on the list of the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species. The U.S. Forest Service lands have been severely impacted by ginseng poachers in western North Carolina. American ginseng was formerly abundant throughout the eastern mountains, but due to repeated poaching, populations have been reduced to a point that they can barely reproduce.  The roots poached in the Nantahala are usually young, between the ages of 5 and 10 years, and have not yet reached their full reproductive capacity. In time, the plant’s populations could recover if poaching ceases.

As a result of this, the U.S. Forest Service intends to continue to crack down on American ginseng poaching. Even the possession of ginseng without a permit is punishable by law.