Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: "Export of wild American ginseng roots is considered detrimental Footnote1. American ginseng is widely distributed in eastern North America but its occurrence is infrequent and fragmented throughout its range. In Canada, abundance is low; only 49 of 418 recorded populations are viable, and the population trend is declining. At least 369 of the 418 populations are either extirpated, not viable, or have declined. American ginseng is listed as endangered at the federal level under the Species at Risk Act and is therefore afforded protection on federal land. It is listed as endangered under Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007 , which prohibits wild harvest and trade as well as cultivation, harvest and trade of wild-simulated and woods-grown American ginseng. In Quebec, under the Loi sur les espèces menacées ou vulnérable , it is listed as threatened, which prohibits wild harvest and trade. These are the highest levels of risk in both provinces. Management plans to protect wild populations in Quebec are under development to comply with the Loi sur les espèces menacées ou vulnérables . Forestry management directives have been developed in Ontario to provide protection during forestry activities. Prevention of wild harvest is highly problematic due to ease of site access and need for continuous monitoring. Eliminating the threat of harvest to survival of ginseng in the wild is problematic due to greater market demand and value for both wild ginseng and ginseng produced to have wild ginseng characteristics, and because it is difficult to distinguish between them. The threat of harvest exists due to commercial trade. Four types of ginseng are recognized in Canada: wild, wild-simulated, woods-grown and cultivated/field-cultivated. Based on export trade data from Statistics Canada and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), demand for cultivated and wild ginseng remains high and it is expected that current export levels will continue. The monetary value of wild ginseng continues to be high and much higher than cultivated (particularly at retail) Wild exports have been prohibited from Canada since 1989. Wild harvest and export is permitted in the United States of America (USA) (90,600 Kilograms (kg) United States Dollar(s) (USD) 36,291,000 reported on export in 2009 Footnote2, an estimated 41,494,800 roots). Canadian export trade is primarily in field-cultivated roots (2.67 million kg, Canadian Dollar (CAD) 70,219,771 in 2008) Footnote3. Although the current and actual extent of wild harvest and trade is unknown, trade in wild ginseng is considered unsustainable largely based on the biological characteristics of the species (slow-growing, high seed mortality, low seedling establishment, mature woodland habitat), in addition to the low abundance of the species, declining population trends, as well as difficulties associated with protection and conservation."