Tickets Issued For Illegal Ginseng Harvest

On August 29, Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) Osborne and Doig received a trespassing complaint in the town of Tompkins in Delaware County, New York. The complainant told the ECOs that there were two people trespassing on a large tract of remote land, possibly harvesting ginseng ahead of season, which began on September 1st.

The ECOs responded to the area and located an SUV and small utility trailer hidden off-road on a logging trail. They spoke to nearby residents who explained the owner of the vehicle may be an individual who recently obtained multiple logging contracts in the area and was potentially out marking timber. The properties covered by the alleged timber contracts consisted of approximately 2,000 acres with 51 separate properties, all off-road.

The ECOs began scouring the properties on foot in search of the subject and eventually located two individuals on an ATV with their hands and knees soiled with dirt, unusual for a crew marking timber, but a potential indicator of ginseng collectors.

The two subjects denied digging for ginseng, but the ECOs searched the area around the ATV and located a small duffle bag hidden in a briar patch. The ECOs reported that the bag contained 13 ginseng roots harvested on the property illegally and out of season.

The investigation revealed the two subjects posed as loggers to residents in the area to gain access to the vast tract of land and steal ginseng from posted property. The Officers charged them with a total of six tickets for poaching ginseng out of season and without permission from landowners.

When harvested and dried, American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) can be a valuable resource. However, New York State has strict laws regulating ginseng, including an established season (September 1 – November 30), age of the plant which may be legally harvested, and landowner permission when harvesting. American ginseng is a native perennial herb and an important forest crop.

More information on the laws and regulations of American ginseng can be found on the DEC website.

Photo of Illegally harvested ginseng seized by ECOs in Delaware County provided by DEC.