ginseng
 The Most Suitable Location to Grow Ginseng
 in Southern British Columbia		 ginseng
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 Conceptual Outline
 Data Collection
 Methodology
 Spatial Analysis
 Conclusion
 Problems
   Methodology


As I researched websites and journal articles to decided what criteria would be suitable for deciding the best place to grow ginseng, I came across two distinct view points.  The Commercial view point and the Traditional view point.  Both had similarities and differences in the criteria for locating the most suitable location for growing ginseng in southern British Columbia.  

   The criteria that I used was:
1. Landcover Type
2. Minimum Temperature
3. Maximum Precipitation
4. Slope

Each criteria was used as a factor in my analysis, so fuzzy images can be created with comparable suitability values.  Each view point was analyzed separately through weighted linear combination.



Commercial Point-of-view

The commercial point-of-view is essentially based on growing the largest crop possible at the cheapest price, and with the least number of problems.  They will use fertilizers, pesticides and canopies to assist in the growth and development of the ginseng.

The four criteria were manipulated to consider the commercial growers views:

 Landcover Type
There are 11 different landcover types, each representing either a more suitable or less suitable area to grow ginseng.
Each type was given a value from 0 (least suitable) to 255 (most suitable).

Mixed forest             50
Deciduous forest       50
Water                        0
Transitional forest      50
Coniferous forest      50
Tundra                       0
Barren                      200
Permanent Ice            0
Cropland                  255
Rangeland                 255
Built-up areas             0

Water, Tundra, and Built-up areas are assigned not suitable as a crop can not be growth there.  All forest types are assigned a value of 50 because they may have good land but it would be expensive to have to clear and cultivate the land.  A clear area also makes it easier to harvest the ginseng.  Barren land is relatively suitable because it is already cleared but it would still have to be cultivated and the soil quality may not be as good.   The most suitable landcover type in a commercial growers point-of-view would be either rangeland or cropland.  Both offer land which has either been cultivated already or has grasses growing which are easy and relatively cost efficient to plow. 

 Minimum Temperature
As ginseng can be easily damaged by cold temperatures a minimum temperature is cutoff at -4 C.  More suitability is given to higher temperatures, and less suitability is given to lower temperatures.

 Maximum Precipitation
Ginseng can be damaged by too much precipitation because the soil becomes to moist and diseases and molds grow.  This requires a suitable area to have a minimal amount of precipitation.  A higher suitability is given to the areas with little monthly precipitation (starting around 34mm) and lower suitability is given to areas with higher amounts of monthly precipitation (up to 578 mm).

 Slope
Slope has two roles. A sloping hill creates better drainage and prevent water from puddling on the field.  To much of a slope makes it impossible to cultivate and harvest with machinery.  Therefore, in a commercial growers point-of-view, a slope between 1 to 9 degrees is necessary, with more suitability given to the smaller slopes. 

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Traditional Point-of-view

The traditional point-of-view is based on how ginseng has been grow for hundreds of years.  It is more natural way to grow it because it uses the landscape to achieve the required growing conditions.  It was stated that the ginseng root has stronger medicinal qualities when it is grown more naturally. 

The four criteria were manipulated to consider the traditional growers views:

Landcover Type

There are 11 different landcover types, each representing either a more suitable or less suitable area to grow ginseng.
Each type was given a value from 0 (least suitable) to 255 (most suitable).

Mixed forest            200
Deciduous forest      255
Water                        0
Transitional forest     150
Coniferous forest     200
Tundra                       0
Barren                       25
Permanent Ice            0
Cropland                  50
Rangeland                 100
Built-up areas             0

Water, Tundra, and Built-up areas are assigned a value of zero as they can not support a crop.  In a commercial operation shade can be created with polypropylene covering or wooden canopies, but in a traditional method, trees are used as the shade.  Therefore, barren land is very low suitability, and cropland, which has few trees, is also given a low suitability.  Rangeland is given a medium suitability as it may contain more trees than the cropland, but not as many as forests.  The forest types range in suitability depending on the types of trees.  First is a transitional forest because it may not be as developed. Slightly increasing in suitability is mixed forest and coniferous forest.  The most suitable forest type is the deciduous forest and therefore gets a suitability  value of 255. 
 
Minimum Temperature
As ginseng can be easily damaged by cold temperatures a minimum temperature is cutoff at -4 C.  More suitability is given to warmer temperatures and less suitability is given to lower temperatures.

 Maximum Precipitation
Ginseng can be damaged by too much precipitation because the soil becomes to moist and diseases and molds start to grow.  This requires a suitable area to have a minimal amount of precipitation.  A higher suitability is given to areas with little monthly precipitation (starting at around 34 mm) and lower suitability given to areas with higher amounts of precipitation (up to 578 mm).

 Slope
Slope again has two roles in deciding where to grow ginseng.  A sloping hill provides better drainage as water does not puddle on the area.  Secondly, a slope that is too big will have continuous loss of soil.  Therefore, a slope between 1 to 15 degrees is the most suitable, with more suitability given to lesser slopes.

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