NATIVE PLANTS: While we celebrate the wild leek with our annual
Stinkfest, our region of Pennsylvania also hosts other native
plants prized for their medicinal qualities. A special series of
four workshops is being held to inform residents and potential
grower/harvesters about those plants – and the restrictions on
growing and harvesting them.

Each workshop is a day-long collaborative effort between the
North Central Pennsylvania Forest Landowners Association, Penn
State Cooperative Extension and Penn State’s Shavers Creek
Environmental Center.

Registration for the first workshop has closed, but there is
lots of time for the rest.

“Plant yer own patch! Guidelines for establishing and growing
ginseng and other native forest medicinal plants” will be held
Sept. 6 in Eldred at the World War II Museum, Sept. 27 at Galeton
High School (?) and Oct. 11 at Shavers Creek Environmental near
State College.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources offers more details on the workshops, including
registration fee and topics to be covered. Each workshop is led by
Eric Burkhart, program director of and instructor at the Shavers
Creek Center.

Pre-registration with pre-payment is required for each workshop,
but a portion of that fee will be used to provide each participant
with planting stock. Every workshop begins at 8:30 a.m., includes a
slide presentation and field trip and ends with discussion starting
at 3:45 p.m. Lunch is not provided but there is a one-hour
break.

The Eldred workshop concentrates on forest farming of ginseng
including planting methods, management, site evaluation and grower
issues. Forest farming of goldenseal, black cohosh and wild leeks
will also be discussed; also included are a field trip to a local
ginseng grower’s garden for site evaluation, a planting
demonstration and question-and-answer session. Registration and
fees, limited to 30 people, are due by Aug. 29 to the Cooperative
Extension Office in Smethport.

The Galeton workshop will be similar, with a forest walk and
planting/husbandry demonstrations. Registration and fees for a
total of 35 people are due by Sept. 12 to the Potter County
Education Council.

For the Shaver’s Creek workshop, participants are asked to take
a lunch. Registration and fees for up to 35 people are due Sept. 26
to the center.

MORE TOMORROW: We will offer more tomorrow on the plants
mentioned in these workshops and why they are prized, along with a
bit about the stiff legal penalties levied for improper
harvesting.