Wild Ginseng Workshop Wild Ginseng is the topic of the Wednesday, October 8, Cumberland Woodland Owners’ Association meeting. Dr. Eric Burkhart, Plant Science Program Director at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, is the featured speaker. The meeting will be at 7:00 PM, October 8th at the Franklin County Ag Heritage Center which is located at 185 Franklin Farm Lane in Chambersburg. The meeting is open to the public. You do not have to be a member of the association and there is no cost to attend. The workshop is handicap accessible. If you need specific accommodations, please contact Penn State Extension in advance at 717-263-9226. American ginseng is a native North American herbaceous plant which has unique chemical properties that make it economically useful. Because of its rarity, ginseng is a very valuable commodity. Dr. Eric Burkhart is an expert on this subject and many more items that are edible and grow in the woods. At Penn State's Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center (http://shaverscreek.org/), he provides training and teaches courses on agroforestry, woody and herbaceous plant identification, and nonnative invasive flora. He also conducts research on native plants of economic and conservation importance. The Cumberland Woodland Owners Association (CWOA) is an organization of forestland owners and others interested in forestry issues in south central Pennsylvania. For more information about the meeting or the Cumberland Woodland Owners Association, contact Fred Peabody at 717/776-3565 (email: fredp5@earthlink.net).