Monongahela National Forest Begins Selling Ginseng Permits for 2022

The Monongahela National Forest will begin selling ginseng permits for the 2022 harvest season on Monday, August 29th.  A Forest Service permit is required to dig ginseng on National Forest System lands, in addition to following all state laws.

You can purchase a ginseng permit Monday through Friday at the ranger stations in Parsons, Petersburg, Richwood, Bartow, and Marlinton, or at the Supervisor’s Office in Elkins. Permits may also be purchased at the ranger station in White Sulphur Springs on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Monongahela National Forest ginseng permits cost $20.00 each. A separate permit is required for each district on the Forest. This year permits for any ranger district may be purchased from all offices. Each permit allows the collection of up to 95 plants from one ranger district.  Plants must be collected during the West Virginia ginseng season which is September 1^st through November 30^th.  Harvesters may purchase more than one permit.

Ginseng plants must be at least 5 years old and have three or more prongs and have produced fruit this year to be legal for harvest. When harvesting, they ask that you plant the fruit on-site and then keep the rest of the plant intact.  They also request that you harvest no more than 24 plants per day and have no more than 24 plants in your possession while on National Forest land. Ginseng must be certified before leaving the boundaries of the state by a registered dealer.

Anyone convicted of illegally gathering ginseng can be fined from $500.00 to $1000.00 for the first offense, and could face jail time in addition to fines for subsequent offenses.

Go to https://wvforestry.com/laws-regulations/ginseng/ for more information about state laws concerning ginseng harvest. For more information about Monongahela National Forest ginseng permits, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mnf/passes-permits/forestproducts/?cid=FSEPRD597459.