Joe Williams with ginseng plant in his hand

Since the 17th century, when a Jesuit priest in Canada identified ginseng (Panax quinquefolia) as a root prized in Asia and therefore exportable, ginseng has provided an annual source of cash for people living in the mountains. Wild ginseng, which commands prices ranging from $300 to $600 a pound, dried, continues to supplement incomes in the mountains. The largest quantities of wild ginseng in the country are harvested from the mixed mesophytic forest region centered around West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Event: Ginseng Hunting.