Chamberlain, James and Christine Small. USDA Forest Service, Blacksburg, VA.

(Presented at The Future of Ginseng and Forest Botanicals Symposium, July 12-14, 2017, Morgantown, WV)

Abstract

Tens of thousands of pounds of black cohosh are harvested every year from Appalachian hardwood forests. The sale of this forest botanical contributes significantly to household incomes throughout the region. Unfortunately, few efforts have been made to understand the ecological impacts of harvesting and how to manage the resource sustainably. Without active management, the potential for negative impacts and population declines is tremendous. We have been studying the impacts of experimental harvests of black cohosh since 2004. After 3 years of harvesting at a rate of 66% we found significant reductions in foliage areas, stem production, mean and maximum height. Populations showed no evidence of recovery after 1 year. Results suggest that black cohosh is very responsive to harvest intensities and long recovery periods are needed to ensure long-term health of the populations. Subsequent analysis of population recovery after seven years indicates limited recovery and potential threats to long-term persistence of natural populations. Another challenge for sustainable management of this medicinal product is determining how much harvestable stock is available in a patch. Few methods exist to estimate below-ground biomass based on above-ground metrics. We developed a method to estimate marketable biomass of black cohosh which can be used to improve management activities. Our findings have significant implications on managing this medicinal plant which may be appropriate for other medicinal forest products.

For more information, see:

Chamberlain, J.L., G. Ness, C.J. Small, S.J. Bonner, E.B. Hiebert. 2013. Modeling below-ground biomass to improve sustainable management of Actaea racemosa, a globally important medicinal forest product. Forest Ecology and Management. 293:1-8

Small, C.J., J.L. Chamberlain and D.S. Mathews. 2011. Recovery of Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) Following Experimental Harvests. American Midland Naturalist. 166(2):339-348