• No license is required to dig wild ginseng on private land in Pennsylvania.

• A commercial license must be obtained from the state by anyone who intends to export from the state any ginseng harvested in Pennsylvania.

• The harvest season for wild ginseng in Pennsylvania is August 1 to November 30. Possession of harvested fresh (“green”) ginseng is prohibited from April 1 and August 1.

• Pennsylvania state law requires that all harvested wild ginseng plants have at least 3 prongs of 5 leaflets each, and that plants are collected only when the fruit is red.

• Pennsylvania requires that seeds of collected wild ginseng be planted in the immediate vicinity of the collection site.

• Ginseng may not be harvested on state owned lands in Pennsylvania.

• The PA Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, serves as the state’s ginseng coordinator. This office can bereached at (717) 787-3444 or:

6th Floor, Rachel Carson
State Office Bldg.
P.O. Box 8552
Harrisburg, PA 17105-8552

• A permit is required to collect ginseng in Allegheny National Forest, which can be contacted at (814) 723-5150 or via mail:

P.O.Box 847
Warren, PA 16368