Conserving Appalachian Medicinal Plants Through Forest Farming

An industry based on plants that flourish in the mountains of Appalachia is at a critical crossroads. The medicinal plant industry has relied on the wild-harvest of Appalachian forest plants and the exploitation of these resources for more than 300 years. There is growing and widespread concern that many of the species, on which this vibrant and substantial industry depends, are being depleted and becoming rare and endangered. The Appalachian forests, which are some of the most productive temperate hardwood forests in the world, are the principal source of more than 50 medicinal plant species that are common to the market. Residents of Appalachia have relied on the forests for their livelihood for generations. Holistic conservation approaches are needed to address the abundant number of plants that share similar forest habitats. As private forest lands, have traditionally received less management attention, the greatest potential for conservation may be on these holdings.
Forest farming is a holistic land-use approach that can lead to conservation of the remarkable medicinal plant resources of this region. Done on private lands, forest farming is a way for landowners to diversify income opportunities, improve management of forest resources and increase biological diversity. People have been informally farming their forests for generations. In recent years, attention has been directed at formalizing forest farming and improving it through research and development activities. Cultivating native forest botanicals is not a new alternative agricultural enterprise, although there is a renewed interest in the topic.
Early forest farming focused on harvesting products from trees, to supplement farm production. Today, the concept has expanded to use the space under trees to produce crops and other products. Forest farming entails cultivating or managing understory plants under a forest canopy. Growing medicinal plants is just one of many opportunities. People have been forest farming goldenseal and American ginseng for almost 100 years, and there is a great deal of experience growing these important medicinal plants. Understanding and evaluating site characteristics is an important first step in undertaking forest farming. The diversity of plant species that grow in Appalachian hardwood forests is considerable and important when considering forest farming options. The market conditions are critical factors to implementing forest farming and are important in assessing potential opportunities. Nuances of forest farming with medicinal plants are explored in this presentation.