Habitat Associated with Ramps/Wild Leeks (Allium tricoccum Ait.) in Pennsylvania, USA: Guidance for Forest Farming Site Selection

Ramps or wild leeks (Allium tricoccum) are a popular foraged non-timber forest product in North America consumed for their edible bulbs and leaves. The agroforestry practice of forest farming is a possible solution to conservation challenges surrounding the wild exploitation of this species, but it requires proper site selection to be successful. In this study, maximum entropy (Maxent) modeling using 163 occurrence points and field data collected at 30 wild populations were combined to determine the characteristics of the ramp habitat in Pennsylvania. Both Maxent modeling and field measurements highlighted moist, lower slope positions with base-rich bedrock types as suitable for ramps. Sites shared 50% of their floristic associates on average, with 252 species documented in total. Forest communities associated with ramps included many species indicative of base-rich mesic soil conditions, but the relative abundance of some indicator species differed by region. The confirmation of model variables by field measurements and forest community types points to the usefulness of these characteristics in identifying suitable forest farming sites. When used in tandem, these results can help to guide site selection for forest farming and other conservation strategies.