Effective July 1, 2012, Tennessee’s ginseng harvest law (T.C.A § 70-8-203) was amended to change the harvest season for wild ginseng to Sept. 1 through Dec. 31. To coincide with the harvest season change, the ginseng buying season also officially begins Sept. 1. Previously, wild ginseng roots could be harvested beginning Aug. 15, which was based on the time of year the ginseng fruit or “berries” ripen.
The original law’s language (T.C.A § 70-8-204) was also amended effective July 1, to state that it is unlawful for any person to knowingly dig, harvest, collect, or remove wild ginseng from any land that such person does not own, on any date not within the wild harvest season.
“Over the years it has been shown that Aug. 15 is too early for the wild ginseng fruits to be fully ripened and the original season had the potential to be detrimental to the survival of this particular species,” said David Lincicome, manager with the division’s natural heritage and rare plant recovery program.
Mr. Lincicome noted that harvesters are still required by law to replant the fruits when the plant or “root” is harvested for long-term sustainability.
The new law and rule changes were encouraged by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the 19 states approved to export wild American ginseng in an effort to have consistent regulations across the states and to better assess the exportation of wild American ginseng and the long-term survival of the species.
TDEC is proposing additional changes to the ginseng dealer registration rules, recommending changing the buying period of wild dry ginseng roots to Sept. 15. Wild green roots can still be purchased on Sept. 1. TDEC will hold two public rulemaking hearings this month to address these proposed changes, slated for Aug. 28 in Knoxville and Aug. 30 in Nashville.
As part of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, TDEC regulates the export of wild ginseng by issuing a license for its purchase, sale and exportation. Licensed ginseng dealers are required to submit an annual report of all transactions to TDEC.
For information about TDEC’s ginseng licensing program, visit www.tn.gov/environment/na/ginseng.shtml. For additional details about the upcoming rulemaking hearings, please visit http://www.tn.gov/environment/na/ppo/ph082812_ginseng.pdf.