A group of student veterans is working to build a community at Penn State Beaver where veterans can find support and connect with others who have shared experiences in the military.
Three-leafed plants are generally larger, the researchers noted, and by targeting those plants, foragers put less of a dent in the population, especially if they are selling commercially.
Sampling was conducted at three sites located in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. One population was on private property and located on a sloped forest bench. Populations two and three were located on public lands on upland ridge tops. All populations originated as wild plants, but one was managed for about 10 years as a forest farm.
Based on this study’s results, one way to promote ramp conservation is to delay ramp harvests until about 30 days after emergence in the spring to ensure that the maximum bulb size has been reached.
It can take many years for plant populations in ramp patches like this to rebound from even modest harvests, researchers warn. With the increased interest and demand for ramps, they want to learn and promote how to best steward wild populations of the forest herb.
Lead researcher Sarah Nilson, assistant professor of biology at Penn State Beaver, shows a ramp. Ramps are valued for their strong garlic-like aroma and delicious onion-like flavor.
Early spring enthusiasm for ramps — also known as wild leeks — may be causing lower plant yields and threatening communities of the forest herb, according to Penn State researchers.
