Nontimber Forest Products in the United States

by Eric T. Jones (Editor), Rebecca J. McLain (Editor), James Weigand (Editor), Susan Charnley (Preface by)

Overview

A quiet revolution is taking place in America’s forests. Once seen primarily as stands of timber, our woodlands are now prized as a rich source of a wide range of commodities, from wild mushrooms and maple sugar to hundreds of medicinal plants whose uses have only begun to be fully realized. Now as timber harvesting becomes more mechanized and requires less labor, the image of the lumberjack is being replaced by that of the forager.

This book provides the first comprehensive examination of nontimber forest products (NTFPs) in the United States, illustrating their diverse importance, describing the people who harvest them, and outlining the steps that are being taken to ensure access to them. As the first extensive national overview of NTFP policy and management specific to the United States, it brings together research from numerous disciplines and analytical perspectives—such as economics, mycology, history, ecology, law, entomology, forestry, geography, and anthropology—in order to provide a cohesive picture of the current and potential role of NTFPs.

The contributors review the state of scientific knowledge of NTFPs by offering a survey of commercial and noncommercial products, an overview of uses and users, and discussions of sustainable management issues associated with ecology, cultural traditions, forest policy, and commerce. They examine some of the major social, economic, and biological benefits of NTFPs, while also addressing the potential negative consequences of NTFP harvesting on forest ecosystems and on NTFP species populations.

Within this wealth of information are rich accounts of NTFP use drawn from all parts of the American landscape—from the Pacific Northwest to the Caribbean. From honey production to a review of nontimber forest economies still active in the United States—such as the Ojibway “harvest of plants” recounted here—the book takes in the whole breadth of recent NTFP issues, including ecological concerns associated with the expansion of NTFP markets and NTFP tenure issues on federally managed lands.

No other volume offers such a comprehensive overview of NTFPs in North America. By examining all aspects of these products, it contributes to the development of more sophisticated policy and management frameworks for not only ensuring their ongoing use but also protecting the future of our forests.

Open access edition funded by the National Endowment for Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700632916
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	10/12/2023
Series:	Development of Western Resources
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	472
Sales rank:	147,642
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Eric T. Jones is an instructor and research professor in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University. Rebecca J. McLain is director of research at the National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University. Susan Charnley is a research social scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station of the USDA Forest Service. James Weigand is an ecologist at the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management.

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Preface to Kansas Open Books Edition, Eric T. Jones, Rebecca J. McLain, Susan Charnley, and James Weigand

Preface

Introduction, Rebecca J. McLain, and Eric T. Jones

1. Past and Present

Historical Overview of Non Timber Forest Product Uses in the United States, Marla R. Emery

The Relevance of Sociocultural Variables to Non Timber Forest Product Research, Policy and Management, Eric T. Jones and Kathryn Lynch

Case Study. Workers in the Woods: Confronting Rapid Change, Richard Hansis

Case Study. Overview of Cultural Traditions, Economic Trends, and Key Species in Nontimber Forest Products of the Pacific Northwest, James Weigand

Case Study. American Southwest, James Weigand

Case Study. The Caribbean Basin: Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, James Weigand

Case Study. California, James Weigand

Case Study. Culture and Nontimber Forest Products in the American Pacific Tropics, James Weigand

Case Study. The Hidden Bounty of the Urban Forest, Paul Jahnige

Case Study. Rio Grande National Forest, Vince Spero and Carol Fleming

2. Commerce and Conservation

Nontimber Forest Product Commerce, Susan J. Alexander, James Weigand, and Keith A. Blatner

Ecological Considerations in Sustainable Use of Wild Plants, Nan C. Vance

The Paradox of Market-oriented Conservation: Lessons from the Tropical Forests, Carolyn Crook and Roger Alex Clapp

Case Study. Extractive Reserves for the United States? Lessons from the Amazonian Experience, Thomas Love

Case Study. Certification of Non-Timber Forest Products, Patrick Mallet

Between Wildcrafting and Monocultures: Agroforestry Options, Wayne S. Teel and Louise E. Buck

Case Study. Native U.S. Plants in Honey and Pollen Production, Anita G. Alexander and Susan J. Alexander

Biological Inventory and Monitoring, Becky K. Kerns, Leon Liegel, David Pilz and Susan J. Alexander

3. Native American Claims

Indian Reserved Rights, Edmund Clay Goodman

Case Study. Ojibwe Off-Reservation Harvest of Plants, Karen Danielsen and Jonathan Gilbert

Case Study. Making Peace in the Berry Patch: The 1932 Handshake Agreement and the Promise of Cultural Use Zones, Andrew H. Fisher

Case Study. Contemporary Subsistence Use of Non Timber Forest Products in Alaska, Robert Shroeder

Case Study. American Indian Management of Federal Lands: The Maidu Cultural and Development Group, Jonathan London

4. Policy and Management

Federal Non Timber Forest Products Policy and Management, Alexios Antypas, Rebecca J. McLain, Jennifer Gilden and Greg Dyson

Business as Usual: The Exclusion of Mushroom Pickers in Wild Mushroom Management in Oregon's National Forests, Rebecca J. McLain

Case Study. Applying Stewardship Contracting Principles to Nontimber Forest Products, Paul Ringgold

5. Customary Claims to Use Rights on Public Lands

Non Timber Forest Product Customary Claims, Edmund Clay Goodman

Appendix A. Scientific Names of Species Listed by Common Name in Text

Appendix B. Names of Referenced Plants

Appendix C. USDA Forest Service Resource Inventories and NTFPs

Appendix D. Edible Mushrooms—Unique Inventory and Monitoring Considerations

Appendix E. Estimating Commercial Quantities of Floral Greens

Appendix F. Traditional Forestry Methods to Inventory Tree Characteristics

Appendix G. Inventory Methods for Commercial Moss Harvest

Appendix H. Rogue Institute for Ecology and Economy Special Forest Products Inventory

Appendix I. Monitoring Wild Goldenseal Populations

List of Contributors

Index

Editorial Reviews

"An exceptional, encyclopedic volume. . . . The book examines much more than nontimber forest products, qua products. It also investigates the people, places, and processes shaping the fate of forest environments from which such products are harvested. In this respect, the book fulfills a timely, even urgent mission. . . . In sum, [this book] stands as an invaluable resource for activists and agency personnel, as well as for established scholars of society and natural resources."—Society and Natural Resources

"An important work [that] fills a substantial void in American forest and conservation history literature. By bringing attention to a neglected topic, it charts the course for future study not only by historians, but by anthropologists, economists, ecologists, forest management and policy specialists, and others as well."—H-Net Book Review

"This book will be helpful to professionals who need specific information about nontimber resource use, and to groups who are involved in the harvest and sale of these materials. It will also be valuable to anyone trying to understand the true worth of our nation’s resources. . . . This book should serve as a useful resource for anyone involved in discussion or decision-making regarding forestland. The bibliography alone is enough to make it a worthwhile reference."—Central New York Environment

"If you’ve ever bought a wreath of fresh forest boughs, a packet of ginseng, or a carton of wild strawberries and wondered where these materials came from—and whether the supply will last—this excellent volume will help answer your questions, while provoking many more. A must book for everyone who believes that the forests of America and their rich abundance of species are worth saving."—Virginia Morell, coauthor of Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa’s Natural Treasures

"By focusing on the most critical issues in NTFP policy and management, this long-awaited work sets the agenda for future NTFP research in the United States and will be relevant for years to come."—Yvonne Everett, Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation, Humboldt State University

From the Publisher