It’s spring, which means it’s ramp season across Appalachia. While ramps can be harvested on national forest lands, officials with the Monongahela National Forest are reminding people to use sustainable practices.
Some practices that will help leave ramps for the future include only taking from patches with more than 100 plants, taking only one-fifth of the plants in a patch, and using a soil fork to dig a ramp bulb.
Digging ramps for personal use is permitted in national forests such as the Monongahela, within established limits. Commercial harvesting or any collecting to resell is not allowed. Collecting ramps in national forests for someone else is also not allowed.
Personal use is defined as two gallons per person at any one time, which is about the amount that fits in a typical plastic grocery bag or about 180 whole plants, including roots and leaves.