MARIETTA, Ohio (July 26, 2016) - For those who enjoy the hunt, wild ginseng permit sales will be available beginning next week.
Officials with the Wayne National Forest say annual wild ginseng root collection permits will be on sale starting Monday, Aug. 1. Permits can be purchased for $20 and will be sold throughout the harvest season – which runs from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31.
Two important changes have been made to the permit process this year. First, ginseng root permits are now stand-alone permits and are no longer combined with the general root collection permit.
Secondly, ginseng root permits are now sold separately for each unit of the Wayne National Forest – Athens, Ironton, and Marietta. These changes were made to improve population management of wild ginseng and ensure it is being managed sustainably on the Wayne National Forest.
The permit is available at any regional Wayne National Forest office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on federal holidays. Permit purchases may be made by credit card, cash, check or money order (made payable to USDA Forest Service). Those purchasing permits will need to provide one form of identification.
For more information, contact the Wayne National Forest Headquarters at (740) 753-0101, or visit our website at
http://www.fs.usda.gov/wayne.
