The plants are then resold to collectors and dealers. The back of a minivan can easily hold a small fortune of poached plants. The Internet has extended the reach of the black market to different continents, and many additional species are now targeted for poaching. The problem has grown to such proportions that certain species may be wiped out of their natural habitat. Ginseng root has become a threatened species in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
Mushrooms are at risk in the Pacific Northwest.
Many cactus species have been hurt throughout the Southwest. Eric Inman, special agent at the Death Valley National Park, helped uncover a cactus theft operation in 1998. Those damages, in some areas, exceeded the cost of the stolen cacti. Replanting in Personal Gardens Plant poaching for profit is not the only motivation for stealing plants from their natural habitats. Park rangers have reason to believe that home owners are digging up wild plants and replanting them in private gardens.