Achieving FairWild Certification: Cultivating Change with Supporting Forest Farms
Written by Lauren Ann Nichols-Sheffler
What is FairWild?
Think of FairWild as the gold star for wild plant harvesting — the international certification that says, “Hey, we’re doing this right.” It guarantees that wild herbs are harvested responsibly, ecosystems are protected, and people collecting (often generational land stewards) are paid fairly for their work. It’s all about transparency, sustainability, and respect for both plants and people.
That’s why we’re beyond proud to share that WishGarden Herbs sponsored our longtime sourcing partner — an Appalachian forest farmer named Daniel — on his journey to become the very first FairWild-certified collector of herbs in North America. (Yep, you read that right. First ever.)
Lauren (Wishgarden Sourcing Manager) & Daniel (Appalachian herbal forest farmer) with the first FairWild-certified source of Black Haw in North America.
Meet Lauren — the woman who made it happen
Lauren Ann Nichols-Sheffler is an herbalist, forest wanderer, and WishGarden’s Senior Sourcing & Purchasing Manager. She’s been working behind the scenes for years to bring this level of integrity to the herbal supply chain, and her relationship with Daniel has been key to making FairWild a reality here in the U.S.
What follows is her story — part love letter to wild herbs, part profile of a remarkable wild land steward, and 100% rooted in the belief that doing better starts with caring deeper.
When I first began sourcing herbal ingredients at scale, I quickly realized the conventional supply chain—with its polished trade show booths and neatly labeled displays—wasn't where I belonged. The herbal industry doesn’t always represent the reality of our niche supply chain, but I wanted to challenge this. I wanted to highlight and source more from the true stewards of our natural supplemental ingredients. The ones with dirt on their hands, the ones with intimate plant relationships and deeply rooted stewardship.
My instincts as an herbalist—and my purchasing role at WishGarden Herbs—led me off the beaten path, away from manicured organic crop rows and into the wild, where plants like Goldenseal grow beneath tree canopies, thriving alongside moss, mushrooms, and lichen. This is where the real magic lives.
Yes, Organic agriculture is essential, always, but it's in the soil, the biodiversity, and most importantly, in the hands of the stewards who care for forests and wildlands that keep our most sensitive and beloved herbs thriving for years to come.
Here is Daniel’s story, Wishgarden’s Forest Farmer and now FairWild-certified!
Meet Daniel: A Modern-Day Forest Farmer
Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, far from city lights, lives a forest farmer named Daniel. Raised on a generational farm that's been in his family since the 1800s, Daniel grew up with dirt under his nails, driving tractors by age 10, and stewardship in his bones. He bought his first 40 acres at age 19, expanding to over 100 acres of farmland and pasture, and in 2017, he purchased 30 acres of natural woodlands specifically for forest farming. Today, Daniel manages livestock, helps with family crop cultivation, and tends to his small farm focused on sustainable agriculture.
Daniel's true passion lies in managing his wild woodlands. There, he cultivates wild species such as Goldenseal and Ginseng, while sustainably managing Wild Cherry & Black Haw Barks using sustainable forest farming methods. His harvesting practices are guided not by convenience but by observation—tracking sap flow, early leaf emergence, and tree maturity. He prioritises dead or damaged trees to clear the canopy for younger growth, ensuring regeneration for future harvests. It's not just sustainable—it's ecological succession in motion.
Daniel (Appalachian herbal forest farmer) holding the first ever North American FairWild certified source of Wild Cherry Bark, collected for Wishgarden Herbs
Harvesting with Intention
Equipped with his custom-built "Tatanka" bark truck and handmade tools (some created in partnership with local Amish craftspeople), Daniel carefully selects which trees to harvest. For Black Haw bark, he chooses trees that are at the width of a baseball bat with younger trees thriving beneath. After carefully selecting trees, he uses a custom-built de-barker machine of his own design to collect bark and chips the remaining wood on-site, reducing waste and utilising the leftover mulch for his Ginseng & Goldenseal beds. After the collection is finished in his woodlands, Daniel dries and stores barks and roots in clean buildings on his property, taking time to monitor quality and moisture levels before selling to Wishgarden.
His work is physically demanding—especially during the rainy spring season—but Daniel wouldn't have it any other way. “Being out in nature, working in the woods, most people don’t get to do that,” he says. “I’m grateful to be working with plants and making them into something that helps people heal.”
A Disappearing Way of Life
Despite the richness of his work, Daniel is keenly aware of the challenges that come with forest farming today. He’s one of the last remaining wild land managers in the area. “The old-timers are gone, and the younger generations are leaving for city jobs,” he explains. With the disappearance of generational farming, abandoned buildings and overgrown farmland appear in the rural landscape—a quiet reminder of what’s at stake.
Still, Daniel remains optimistic. With 50% of his income coming from his forest farm and long-standing partnerships with companies like WishGarden, he sees real value in ethical harvesting and regenerative practices. He’s obtaining his FairWild certification currently, not because he needs it to validate his work, but because he understands the growing importance of transparency and trust in the herbal market.
North American FairWild certified Black Haw. Black Haw Bark is used for several women-focused herbal formulas, such as After Ease by Wishgarden Herbs
An Intergenerational Approach to Stewardship
Daniel’s mother occasionally joins him for Black Haw bark harvests. To her, it’s more than work—it’s communion with land, lineage, and season. She looks forward to each Spring among the trees. Further, Daniel’s young nephew sometimes rides along, learning the names of plants and their uses as they walk the land. A spark of hope, flickering into the next generation.
Rooted in Respect
Daniel’s forest farming is both cultural and agricultural. His land lies beside rivers once inhabited by Native tribes, and he often finds arrowheads and stone tools—reminders of the ancient connection between people and plants. As a child, he wandered those same woods, searching for artefacts, learning the landscape. Now, he manages those very forests with reverence. Decades later, he’s become a master agroforestry cultivator—his knowledge drawn from observation, community, and season. He listens to the land and walks in rhythm with it, embodying the heart of what it means to be FairWild-certified.
Daniel with North American FairWild-certified Black Haw Bark
“Harvesting should be done with care,” he says, “because you’re not just taking from the land, you’re managing it for the future.”
Watch this video where Daniel shows how he sustainably harvests goldenseal from his Appalachian forest farm.
Wishgarden’s FairWild Approach
Modern herbal sourcing is no easy task, but we are lucky to walk alongside resilient herbalists and wildland stewards who believe in offering accessible plant remedies to the people.
At WishGarden, we believe in sourcing with intention, supporting sustainable harvesters, and building enduring partnerships with collectors like Daniel.
That’s why we’re proud to announce our FairWild brand partnership with the first North American FairWild-certified operator—a first step in helping bring FairWild to North America and supporting our domestic long-standing wildland stewards on their journey to certification.
“It’s in the wild we remember—who we were before the noise, before the clocks and calendars pulled us from the rhythm of the earth.
There, beneath untamed skies, we meet ourselves again—not polished, but true.
The wind doesn’t ask who you should be; It reminds you who you are.
So let a little wild remain in you—a flicker behind the eyes, a softness unshaped by stone. For it’s healthy to stay a little wild—that’s where the soul goes to breathe.”
First North American FairWild certified source of Goldenseal, collected for Wishgarden Herbs
Lauren Ann Nichols-Sheffler is a certified medical herbalist from the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism. She advocates for bioregional herbalism, co-stewards the Denver Herb Club, teaches at CSCH, and hosts community events at her United Plant Savers Botanical Sanctuary. As Senior Sourcing & Purchasing Manager at WishGarden Herbs, Lauren brings her passion for sustainability and plant education into every aspect of her work.