{"id":17885,"date":"2026-10-05T23:53:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T23:53:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17885"},"modified":"2026-10-05T23:53:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T23:53:13","slug":"nearly-700-poached-ginseng-roots-recovered-in-great-smoky-mountains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=17885","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 700 Poached Ginseng Roots Recovered in Great Smoky Mountains"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"justify-start\">\n<nav class=\"align-left col-span-full mb-base\" data-pom-e2e-test-id=\"breadcrumbs\"\/>\n<p>A bust in Appalachia highlights how understaffed national parks are struggling to protect &#8220;green gold&#8221; from an escalating underground market.&#13;\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--$?--><template id=\"B:1\"\/><!--\/$--><\/p>\n<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"fp-leadCaption py-tight text-left font-utility text-utility3-size leading-utility3-line-height text-secondary\">Like all plants, animals, and rocks in a national park, it\u2019s strictly illegal to remove ginseng from the area<!-- --> (Photo: Courtsey of GSMNP)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-body\">\n<p>Published October 5, 2026 04:54PM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"\" class=\"content-card rounded-xl px-base-loose pt-base-loose pb-loose shadow-sm shadow-black\/10\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div id=\"model-response-message-contentr_f7ae8a026894b9fe\" class=\"markdown markdown-main-panel md-content enable-luminous-fast-follows enable-updated-hr-color stronger tutor-markdown-rendering\" dir=\"ltr\" aria-busy=\"false\" aria-live=\"polite\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"0\"><strong>What to Know:<\/strong> Rangers recently recovered 700 illegally poached ginseng roots from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Uprooting the prized plant harms ecosystems and carries severe legal penalties, but staffing cuts make the crisis hard to stop.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Rangers with the National Park Service (NPS) said in a September 30 <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GreatSmokyMountainsNPS\/posts\/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-rangers-have-contacted-two-separate-suspects\/1517416647088515\/\">statement<\/a> that they recovered nearly 700 ginseng roots taken from Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). The rangers believe two individuals illegally poached the plants<strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Park Service prohibits visitors from removing any plants, animals, or even rocks from NPS sites. A violation is punishable by a $5,000 fine or up to six months in prison.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Poaching] is a significant problem that this region has been facing for decades but has only gotten worse,\u201d Will Harlan, the southeast director with the Center for Biological Diversity, told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cPublic lands are now our best strongholds for what\u2019s left of ginseng, but even those are under siege.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>GSMNP officials did not specify whether the two suspects accused of uprooting the plant will be charged or face penalties. The NPS\u00a0said in its statement that it will replant some of the recovered roots, but noted that only about one-third may survive.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2756730\" class=\"pom-image-wrap photo-alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"a pile of ginseng root photographed from the seizure\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1073\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2756730\" style=\"color:transparent\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ginseng-root-2.jpeg?width=2048&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 1x, https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ginseng-root-2.jpeg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ginseng-root-2.jpeg?width=3840&amp;auto=webp&amp;quality=75&amp;fit=cover\"\/><figcaption class=\"pom-caption\"><span class=\"article__caption\">Ginseng can take up to ten years to mature, and experts say its fragility requires strict regulations to protect the herb\u2019s wild growth <\/span> (Photo: Courtesy of GSMNP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>\u201cFree Money Out in the Forest\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Illegal harvesting of plants or animals is ecologically damaging, the park service noted. Animals rely on these plants for food, and removing them\u00a0reduces genetic diversity in a plant population.<\/p>\n<p>Wild ginseng has long been prized as a medicinal remedy, according to the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/health.clevelandclinic.org\/ginseng-benefits\">Cleveland Clinic<\/a>. People use the herb in teas and to treat ailments like indigestion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fas.usda.gov\/data\/gain\/2026\/08\/china-health-consciousness-drives-ginseng-demand\">says<\/a> demand for American ginseng is high, and its use is growing in other countries such as\u00a0China. Wild American ginseng is sometimes called \u201cgreen gold,\u201d and the West Virginia Division of Forestry <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/wvforestry.com\/ginseng-how-we-are-loving-it-to-death\/#\">writes<\/a> that a dry pound can sell for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/wvforestry.com\/ginseng-how-we-are-loving-it-to-death\/\">more than $500<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Harlan said this makes the plant a coveted commodity and vulnerable to illegal harvesting on public lands, including inside\u00a0GSMNP.<\/p>\n<p>While some U.S. farmers raise ginseng, Harlan said the wild version is considered higher quality and therefore more valuable, fueling an underground market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor many folks in Appalachia struggling to make ends meet, there\u2019s free money out in the forest if they can find some ginseng,\u201d he told <em>Outside<\/em>. \u201cIf you know where to look, it\u2019s still out there, but it\u2019s barely hanging on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Historically, some national forests issued harvesting permits for the plant, but the U.S. Forest Service reports that some have <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"article-content-link text-brand-primary underline hover:text-brand-primary\/85 break-words overflow-wrap-anywhere underline-offset-[3px]\" rel=\"noopener\" data-afl-p=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/r08\/northcarolina\/newsroom\/releases\/suspension-ginseng-harvest-permits-will-continue\">pulled back these permits<\/a> in recent years because of unsustainable practices.<\/p>\n<p>Ginseng can take up to ten years to mature, and Harlan said its fragility requires strict regulations to protect the herb\u2019s wild growth.<\/p>\n<p><iframe class=\"fp-remove\" style=\"border:none;overflow-y:hidden;background-color:white;min-width:320px;max-width:420px;width:100%;height:420px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gaiagps.com\/public\/8pc36vM1DINESqpEXuNHITTY\/?embed=True\" seamless=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Why Budget Cuts Are Making Ginseng Poaching Harder to Stop<\/h2>\n<p>Harlan said that although rangers are trained to spot illegal harvesting, significant staffing reductions at national parks over the past two years have left fewer people to find perpetrators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is just one of many problems they\u2019re facing as their personnel has been literally gutted,\u201d Harlan said. \u201cIt makes prioritizing ginseng poaching even more difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Park visitors can help the NPS by letting\u00a0staff know if they see someone uprooting plants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese ginseng plants on our public lands belong to all of us, not just to a few profiteers,\u201d Harlan said. \u201cWe want ginseng to flourish once more in the wild. We can\u2019t let this continue to happen in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span hidden=\"\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-adventure\/environment\/ginseng-poaching-great-smoky-mountains-national-park\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bust in Appalachia highlights how understaffed national parks are struggling to protect &#8220;green gold&#8221; from an escalating underground market.&#13; Like all plants, animals, and rocks in a national park, it\u2019s strictly illegal to remove ginseng from the area (Photo: Courtsey of GSMNP) Published October 5, 2026 04:54PM What to Know: Rangers recently recovered 700<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17886,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wild-living"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17885"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17885\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}