Mission & Goals

Our Mission

Untangled Roots is a Middle Tennessee research project dedicated to the conservation, restoration, and cultivation of American ginseng.

Over the past several years, we have developed high-resolution Habitat Suitability Models for American ginseng in Moore, Franklin, and Coffee Counties in Southern Middle Tennessee. These models were built from 140 known presence locations and incorporate environmental variables including precipitation, soil type, aspect, elevation, minimum temperature, canopy cover, distance to water, and digital elevation models. The result is parcel-scale maps that classify land as unsuitable, suitable, or highly suitable for wild or wild-simulated ginseng habitat.

The strategic opportunity is to use this unique geospatial dataset — and the expertise behind it — to build a mission-driven enterprise that improves forest health, creates resilient local income streams, and supports the long-term survival of American ginseng. Tennessee is already one of the leading sources of wild and wild-simulated ginseng in the United States, and agriculture and forestry account for a large share of economic activity in our region. A carefully designed model can help landowners shift from opportunistic digging toward planned, regenerative forest farming.

American ginseng is a climate-sensitive species. Southern Appalachian populations sit near the trailing edge of suitable habitat range. As temperatures and precipitation patterns shift, our habitat modeling helps identify populations and sites most likely to remain viable — making restoration efforts climate-smart from the start.