'Sang Pointers Fern Points NE

I've landed in the woods of Abingdon, VA and I've been put to work hunting for a 'Sang Pointers Fern. Local lore indicates that ginseng hunters look for this fern when hunting for ginseng. It points to the direction of the 'sang, a NE faceing slope. 'Sang Pointers Fern is a companion plant for a lot of different forest botanicals that Appalachian Sustainable Development works with- ginseng, ramps, goldenseal, black cohosh and more. Since 2010, ASD has been teaching landowners how to cultivate and profitably market these forest botanicals for added income potential and increased biodiversity in their forest understory. Continued overharvesting has drastically reduced wild populations, and ASD hopes to counteract this though their work. Today, I'm out on the Panicello Memorial Trail- a Learning Landscapes outdoor classroom- helping OSM/VISTA Katie Commender conduct site selections for ramp bulb and seed plantings that she's doing later this week with local high school students. I wish I could stay longer to see this educational work in action, but for now I'm off to the Grow Your Own garden project!