The operations also cause serious damage to the forest. The growers chop down trees to let sunlight filter through to their plants, divert water away from trout streams and filter harmful chemicals back into the water.

"It causes a lot of environmental damage from soil erosion and it increases sedimentation in rivers and streams which affects the fish. There is possibility of chemical runoff from poisons and other wastes," Flory said. "They destroy the vegetation and leave their garbage behind.

"It leaves a scar on the landscape," she said.