Abstract
The forest flora of eastern North America includes many herbaceous plant species traded in domestic and international medicinal markets. Conservation concerns surrounding wild-collection exist and transitioning to cultivation in agroforestry systems has potential economic and ecological benefits. Costs and revenues associated with adopting forest cultivation were modeled for eight North American medicinal forest plants. Sensitivity analysis examined profit potential in relation to (1) discount rates; (2) propagation methods; (3) prices; (4) growing period; (5) production costs; and (6) yields. Results indicate that intensive husbandry of six of eight species would be unprofitable at recent (1990–2005) price levels. Exceptions are American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.), and under certain circumstances (e.g., maximum historic prices, low production costs) goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.). Direct marketing to consumers and retailers might improve grower profits, but is undermined by the availability of cheaper, wild-collected product. We suggest that the North American medicinal plant industry could play a key role in facilitating any transition from wild to cultivated product, perhaps through development of a certification and labeling program that brands “forest cultivated” products. This could generate price premiums, to be passed along to growers, but must be accompanied by aggressive consumer education. A “forest cultivated” certification and labeling program has potential to benefit industry and consumers if assurances regarding product identity and quality are a central feature. Plant species that are not viable candidates for commercial cultivation due to limited consumer demand (i.e., species with “shallow,” erratic markets) are best addressed through proactive government and industry initiatives involving targeted harvester education programs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Albrecht MA, McCarthy BC (2006) Comparative analysis of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) population re-growth following human harvest: implications for conservation. Am Midl Nat 156(2):229–236. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2006)156[229:CAOGHC]2.0.CO;2
American Botanicals (2008) Product list. http://www.americanbotanicals.com/product_list.asp. Cited 1 September 2008
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) (1999) 1997–1999 Tonnage survey results. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) (2003) Tonnage survey of North American wild-harvested plants, 2000–2001. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) (2006) Tonnage survey of select North American wild-harvested plants, 2002–2003. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) (2007) Tonnage survey of select North American wild-harvested plants, 2004–2005. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
Bailey B (1999) Social and economic impacts of wild harvested products. PhD dissertation, Forest Resource Science, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Bannerman JE (1997) Goldenseal in world trade: pressures and potentials. HerbalGram 41:51–52
Baskin CC, Baskin JM (2001) Seeds: ecology, biogeography, and evolution of dormancy and germination. Academic Press, San Diego
Bennett BC, Bell CR, Boulware RT (1990) Geographic variation in alkaloid content of Sanguinaria canadensis (Papaveraceae). Rhodora 92(870):57–69
Beyfuss RL (1999a) American ginseng production in woodlots. Agoroforestry Notes 14 (July). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE
Beyfuss RL (1999b) Economics and marketing of ginseng. Agroforestry Notes 15 (July). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE
Beyfuss RL (2000) The practical guide to growing ginseng. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Greene County, Cairo
Bierzychudek P (1982) Life histories and demography of shade-tolerant temperate forest herbs: a review. New Phytol 90:757–776. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1982.tb03285.x
Brush A (2006) False-unicorn (Chamaelirium luteum) root weights gathered from growing trials in Meigs County, Southern Ohio. Unpublished data. Received March 28, 2006
Cech R (2002) Growing at-risk medicinal herbs: cultivation, conservation and ecology. Horizon Herbs, Williams
Cech R (2008) Planting stock price lists and seed counts. Horizon Herbs. Williams, OR. http://www.horizonherbs.com. Cited 1 September 2008
Charron D, Gagnon D (1991) The demography of northern populations of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng). J Ecol 79:431–445. doi:10.2307/2260724
Cozzo DN (1999) Herb gatherers and root diggers of Northwestern North Carolina. MA Thesis, Appalachian Studies, Appalachian State University
Craker LE, Gardner Z, Etter SC (2003) Herbs in American fields: a horticultural perspective of herb, medicinal plant production in the United States, 1903 to 2003. HortScience 38(5):977–983
Cullina W (2000) The New England wildflower society guide to growing and propagating wildflowers of the United States and Canada. Houghton-Mifflin, New York, NY
Davis JM (1999) Forest production of goldenseal. Agroforestry Notes 16 (July). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE
Dix ME, Hill DB, Buck LE, Rietveld WJ (1997) Forest farming: an agroforestry practice. Agroforestry Notes 7 (Nov). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE
Emery MR, Ginger C, Newman S, Giammusso MRB (2003) Special forest products in context: gatherers and gathering in the Eastern United States. General Technical Report NE-306. Newtown Square, PA. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station
Farrington SJ (2006) An ecological study of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) in the Missouri Ozark highlands: effects of herbivory and harvest, ecological characterization and wild simulated cultivation. Master of Science Thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia
Foster S, Duke JA (2000) A field guide to medicinal plants and herbs of eastern and central North America, 2nd edn. Peterson Field Guides. Houghton-Mifflin, New York
Gladstar R, Hirsch P (eds) (2000) Planting the future: saving our medicinal herbs. Healing Arts Press, Rochester
Hill DB, Buck LE (2000) Forest farming practices. In: Garrett HE, Rietveld WJ, Fisher RF (eds) North American agroforestry: an integrated science and practice. American Society of Agronomy, Madison
Klemperer WD (1996) Forest resource economics and finance. McGraw-Hill, New York
Lewis WH, Elvin-Lewis MPF (2003) Medical botany: plants affecting human health, 2nd edn. Wiley, Hoboken
Lim W, Mudge KW, Vermeylen F (2005) Effects of population, age, and cultivation methods on ginsenoside content of wild American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium). J Agric Food Chem 53:8498–8505. doi:10.1021/jf051070y
McCoy J, Davis JM, Camper JD, Khan I, Bharathi A (2007) Influence of rhizome propagule size on yields and triterpene glycoside concentrations of black cohosh (Actaea racemosa L. syn Cimicifuga racemosa (L.) Nuttal). HortScience 42(1):61–64
McGuffin M, Leung AY, Tucker AO (2000) Herbs of commerce, 2nd edn. American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, MD
McLain RJ, Jones ET (2005) Nontimber forest products management on national forests in the United States. General Technical Report PNW-GTR-655. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR
Meagher TR, Antonovics J (1982) The population biology of Chamaelirium luteum, a dioecious member of the lily family: life history studies. Ecology 63(6):1690–1700. doi:10.2307/1940111
Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (2007) International standard for sustainable wild collection of medicinal and aromatic plants (ISSC-MAP). Version 1.0. Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN), MPSG/SSC/IUCN, WWF Germany, and TRAFFIC, Bonn, Gland, Frankfurt, and Cambridge (BfN-Skripten, 195)
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) (2005) Production recommendations for ginseng. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Publication No 610, Toronto, Canada
Persons WS (1986) American ginseng: green gold. Bright Mountain Books, Asheville, NC
Persons WS, Davis JM (2005) Growing and marketing ginseng, goldenseal and other woodland medicinals. Bright Mountain Books, Fairview, NC
Rao MR, Palada MC, Becker BN (2004) Medicinal and aromatic plants in agroforestry systems. Agrofor Syst 61:107–122. doi:10.1023/B:AGFO.0000028993.83007.4b
Renaud E (2004) National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs (NCMPH) draft research report: five year trial report on black cohosh, blue cohosh, goldenseal, stoneroot and wild yam 1998–2003. Unpublished report. Received 2005
Richters (2008) Planting stock price lists and seed counts. Richters Herbs. Goodwood, Ontario. http://www.herbs.com/. Cited 1 September 2008
Robbins CS (1998a) Medicinal plant conservation: a priority at TRAFFIC. HerbalGram 44:52–54
Robbins CS (1998b) American ginseng: the root of North America’s medicinal herb trade. TRAFFIC North America, Washington, DC
Robbins CS (1999) Medicine from US wildlands: an assessment of native plant species harvested in the United States for medicinal use and trade and evaluation of the conservation and management implications. TRAFFIC North America. http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/pubs/traffic.htm. Cited 1 September 2008
Roy RC, Grohs R, Reeleder RD (2003) A method for the classification by shape of dried roots of ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.). Can J Plant Sci 83:955–958
Salmore AK, Hunter MD (2001) Environmental and genotypic influences on isoquinoline alkaloid content in Sanguinaria canadensis. J Chem Ecol 27(9):1729–1747. doi:10.1023/A:1010448406809
Sanders S, McGraw JB (2005) Harvest recovery of goldenseal, Hydrastis canadensis L. Am Midl Nat 153:87–94. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2005)153[0087:HROGHC]2.0.CO;2
Schooley J (2003) Cost of production of one acre of ginseng in Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Ginseng Series. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/gincop.htm Cited 1 September 2008
Shanley P, Pierce AR, Laird SA (2005) Beyond timber: certification of non-timber forest products. Forest Trends, Washington, DC. http://www.forest-trends.org/resources/publications/publications.php Cited 1 September 2008
Sinclair A, Nantel P, Catling P (2005) Dynamics of threatened goldenseal populations and implications for recovery. Biol Conserv 123:355–360. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.12.004
Strategic Sourcing (2008) Product listing. http://www.strategicsourcinginc.net/products/ Cited 1 September 2008
Thomas AL, Crawford RJ, Havermann LJ, Applequist WL, Schweitzer BE, Woodbury SF et al (2006) Effect of planting depth, planting season, and fungicide treatment on establishment of black cohosh in a poorly drained soil. HortScience 41(2):374–376
United Plant Savers (UPS) (2008) UpS “at-risk” list. http://www.unitedplantsavers.org/UpS_At_Risk_List.html. Cited 1 September 2008
United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (2007) Consumer price indexes. http://www.bls.gov Cited 1 September 2008
United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (2008) US Scientific Authority Findings for American ginseng 2000–2006. http://www.fws.gov/international/animals/ginindx.html Cited 1 September 2008
Van Der Voort ME, Bailey B, Samuel D, McGraw JB (2003) Recovery of populations of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) following harvest. Am Midl Nat 149:282–293. doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2003)149[0282:ROPOGH]2.0.CO;2
Van Wyk BE, Wink M (2004) Medicinal plants of the world. Timber Press, Portland, OR
Whitten G (1999) Herbal harvest: commercial organic production of quality dried herbs, 2nd edn. Bloomings Books, Victoria
World Health Organization (WHO) (2003) WHO guidelines on good agricultural and collection practices (GACP) for medicinal plants. WHO, Geneva
Acknowledgments
This analysis and paper benefited greatly from the contributions of Marc McDill, Jim Finley, Rich Stedman, Lee Newsom, Stephen Turchak, Joel Messner, David Thompson, Larry Harding, Jim Kirsch, Wayne Weigle, Barry Wolfe, John Steiner, Edward Fletcher, Floyd Huggins, Dennis Millin, Allen Lockard and American Botanicals, Michael McGuffin, Matthew Albrecht, Amy Brush, Chip Carroll, Erica Renaud, Chris Firestone, and two anonymous reviewers. This research was supported in part by the Wild Resources Conservation Fund (WRCF), administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burkhart, E.P., Jacobson, M.G. Transitioning from wild collection to forest cultivation of indigenous medicinal forest plants in eastern North America is constrained by lack of profitability. Agroforest Syst 76, 437–453 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-008-9173-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-008-9173-y