Currently, it is the critical period for planting Chinese medicinal herbs under the forest canopy.
At the Fulüchong work area of Heboling State-Owned Forest Farm in Shaoyang County, large-scale planter Zhu Yeyun is leading nearby villagers to seize the farming season and plant Epimedium sagittatum.
This newly established hundred-mu understory planting base is a new industry for the Fulüchong work area to deeply cultivate understory economy, revitalize forest land resources, and drive the masses to achieve stable income growth nearby.
Walking into the planting base of the Fulüchong work area, a busy scene unfolds among the trees.
Villagers are working in division of labor, preparing the land and planting seedlings, as one Epimedium sagittatum seedling after another takes root under the forest.
Epimedium is a medicinal plant with effects such as strengthening bones and muscles and dispelling rheumatism.
The Fulüchong work area has a high altitude, moderate climate, and fertile soil, providing unique natural conditions for the growth of Epimedium sagittatum.
"The growing environment for Epimedium sagittatum must be above seven or eight hundred meters in altitude and below one thousand meters. Its flavonoid content and medicinal value are highest when grown there," said Zhu Yeyun.
The Fulüchong work area has a total forest land area of more than 580 hectares, with abundant forest land resources.
To identify an understory industry suitable for the local area, the forest farm organized staff to visit and study in Xinning, Huaihua Huitong, and other places, and determined to develop Epimedium sagittatum planting under the forest.
At present, the base has purchased more than 100 mu of Epimedium sagittatum seedlings from Hunan Xiangqian Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., and signed a guaranteed purchase agreement, opening up sales channels and resolving concerns about planting.
Zhu Yeyun said: "If we plant now, we can harvest seeds in the spring of 2028. We are currently planting 100 mu, which can be harvested twice a year, with an income of about 12,000 yuan per mu."
The landing and rooting of the industry has also provided employment opportunities for surrounding villagers.
Daily management, harvesting, and other work at the base give priority to hiring nearby villagers, allowing everyone to earn money at their doorstep and balance family responsibilities with income growth.
Villager Chen Weidong from the Fulüchong work area is one of them. She said: "We work here 8 hours a day. The boss is very nice. We eat lunch here at noon, and there is car pick-up and drop-off. We get 100 yuan a day, and after finishing work we can go back and do some housework for the family."
In recent years, Heboling State-Owned Forest Farm has adhered to adapting measures to local conditions, relied on the different resource endowments of each work area, arranged characteristic understory industries at multiple points, and taken the path of diversified development.
Previously, the forest farm had successively developed understory medicinal herbs and specialty tea planting in the Qiping, Shijiaolou, and Miaozhushan work areas, making the understory economy a vivid practice of the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets."
Zhang Honglei, Party Secretary of Heboling State-Owned Forest Farm in Shaoyang County, said: "In recent years, we developed 120 mu of wild mountain black tea in the Qiping work area, and planted Gastrodia elata and Angelica dahurica in the Shijiaolou and Miaozhushan work areas. Combining the forest farm's resource endowment and after extensive investigation and demonstration, we believe that the Fulüchong work area is very suitable for planting Epimedium sagittatum, a unique southern variety. The active ingredient content of Epimedium sagittatum is much higher than that of other types of Epimedium, and it has a wide range of market applications, suitable for various health care fields."
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