Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section -
Plant Conservation Program

As stated in the Plant Protection and Conservation Act, The PCP Board consists of seven members. The Governor appoints a representative from the N.C. Botanical Garden, the botanical, scientific community of N.C., the N.C. Division of Forest Resources, and a N.C. citizen’s conservation organization. The Commissioner appoints a representative from the commercial plant production industry in N.C., the Department of Agriculture, and the N.C. public at large. Each member is appointed to serve a four-year term.

In summary, the powers and duties of the Board are:
(a) to publish a list of endangered species, threatened species, and species of special concern;
(b) to revise the lists when necessary;
(c) to regulate shipment of species on the protected plant list;
(d) to regulate any exotic species that may appear on the Federal Endangered or Threatened Species list;
(e) to regulate and forbid sale or collection of certain plant species growing in N.C.;
(f) to conduct investigations to determine if a plant should be listed;
(g) to adopt regulations to protect and conserve any protected plant;
(h) to establish programs for endangered and threatened plant species consistent with the Endangered Species Act, including the acquisition of land or aquatic habitats;
(i) to enter into and administer cooperative agreements through the Commissioner of Agriculture with other federal, State, or private conservation organizations concerning protected plant species and their conservation and management;
(j) to cooperate with any federal government or other state agency for the purpose of enforcing these provisions;
(k) to receive funds, issue grants, enter contracts, employ personnel, or purchase supplies to fulfill its duties;
(l) to publicize regulations under which permits may be issued to licensed nurserymen, growers, or botanical gardens for the sale or distribution of protected plants, provided that they are nursery propagated and grown from seed or by vegetative propagation, and that the plants bear the grower’s permit number.