TOPIC: How do we stop illegal digging out of season?

If something is not done to stop the illegal digging and selling out of season we are going to lose our ginseng trade.
I would like to hear some comments on solutions.

Rootman,

We need to keep planting stratified seeds. I have been taking extra seeds to the woods with me for several years now. I will usually add some to the areas I dig, but also plant seeds in places where theres not any sang.

I think there will always be people digging out of season, don't know how to stop that. When these areas don't have enough sang left to make it worth their time, they will move on and the ginseng will recover in time. It would be very hard to completely dig out an area to the point where it wont come back. There should be some sleeping or little ones they over look.

It would also help if the fine folks in our government would use better judgment when it comes to destroying our forests through heavy logging.

About the only thing that can be done with those that are out digging before season is to turn them in if U know about them. Probably most of us know some \"good ole boy\" that slips out digging a little early and if we'd actually turn them in they might get caught with the goods and stop. Along with what lenno wrote, it might not be popular, but I'd like to see laws enacted that require us to carry seed and plant it where we dig. What I'd propose is make diggers get a license and the majority of the license fee go toward a bag of stratified seed that would be given with the license. That wouldn't guarantee everyone would plant it where they harvested plants, but most would at least get planted somewhere.

make trading drugs for ginseng a huge fine and sure jail time if you cut out the drughead diggers you cut atlest 75% of illegal ginseng activity plus we need some kind of seeding program started in each state with ginseng from that state might take a few years to get started but in the long haul i think its the best way to insure the future of ginseng. thining the deer herd where its grown out of control wouldnt hurt either

with a shotgun!

There are great dealers out there so do not take offense dealers. You can never stop diggers digging out of season that have a place to sell their early dug seng.

I mean come on, I have read where diggers take 10 lbs of dry seng to a dealer a week or two after season opens. Who the hell can dig 10 lbs of dry seng in a week dry it and sell it that fast.

Put the pressure on those diggers breaking the rules. More importantly put pressure on dealers breaking the rules buying dry seng early on and buying seng with no growth buds on the root neck.

Thanks to all you honest dealers out there. Not looking to pick a fight with you all. Those of you that are buying seng that YOU KNOW WAS DUG EARLY should be ashamed of yourselves. As long as you continue do this, the unethical digger will continue to rape the woods out of season. This will ruin everything especially now with all these damn TV shows sparking new diggers.
Latt

This past September at a DNR meeting In Georgia I proposed a ginseng diggers license. My thought is how do you as a state regulate something that is not licensed ? Each digger could purchase a license for x dollars for x amount of fresh pounds. Upon sale a dealer must fill in weight amount on license and when purchased weight is reached he or she may buy additional pounds on said license. No license no sale. With no value no need to dig out of season. Also stronger enforcement of existing regulations on dealers as well as diggers. Take away illegal value rogues will move on to something else besides our precious natural resource .

knob.
It may have to come to license or permits just like deer hunting where each digger is allowed only so much weight!
I've stated several times about green( fresh sales ) only. This wouldn't be a complete remedy since you can keep it refrigerated for 2 or 3 weeks but it would sure stop the early summer digging.

Anything that holds a high value will always have to battle with dishonest people trying to get rich or cheat the system. The only way these people will not poach seng out of season is 1.) if there is not enough seng to dig in the area to compensate their time in the woods, or 2.) seng looses it's high $ value and is not profitable to compensate their time in the woods. I am certainly not hoping for either scenario, but I don't really see any way for dishonest diggers/dealers to get caught in the act. The hobby in general is too tough to regulate closely. It's more or less just based on the honor system.

Rootman,
Here is an article pertaining to exactly what you have stated on early digging. The second article makes mention of these 11 thieves stealing it from farmers. So it appears it is early digging and stealing/theft.

Here is a link showing a WV ginseng related bust.

www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/WV-DNR-Makes...-Bust-275505141.html

thefreethoughtproject.com/police-11-arre...-ginseng-30000-cash/

Latt