[MPWG] National Network of Forest Practioners - Non-timber Forest Product News (#7)
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Tue Jun 21 12:55:27 CDT 2005
Subject: NTFP News Digest 7
Non-timber Forest Product News
National Network of Forest Practioners NTFP Working Group
www.nnfp.org
Digest Issue 7
June 17, 2005
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Editor Penny Frazier,
penny at pinenut.com
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Contents:
I. News Article Review
Acorns-
Mother Earth News - New on the Web
Mohawk: Traditional nutrition can prevent disease
Ramps: Demand for wild leek prompts harvest limit
Ramp Fests Add Flavor, Stench, to Appalachian Spring
Can you eat this?
Ginseng legislation
Invasive plant to be served up at benefit
Pine Nut Blessing
Concern for the Arctic foods
Plant savers focus on conserving medicinals
II Publications
HUCKLEBERRY ABUNDANCE, STAND CONDITIONS, AND USE IN WESTERN OREGON:,.
Effective Management of Invasive Weed
III - Events and Announcements
Silent Auction - NTFP's chance to shine!
Crummies Creek Tree Farm, Arnoldsburg, Calhoun County, West
Virginia
Goods from the Woods June Hands-on Workshops
Growing Your Forest Part II and Nuts AND Bolts of Timber Sales
Medicinal plant project in Virginia - Help Wanted
SHOP THE WILD TRADESHOW
Buy BC Wild Conference
IV Funding and Grants
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I NEWS
Salem,Oregon,Acorns
Timely rains may be responsible for bountiful acorns The acorn meal can
then be used like corn meal, or even better, go to the library or the
Internet and find wild foods recipes to put your acorn meal to use.
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=784&ArticleID=15546&TM=35725.33
NEW ON THE WEB - Old Mother Earth
Information for cooking and processing acorns
http://www.motherearthnews.com/top_articles/1970_May_June/Food_Without_Farming
for strawberry leaf syrup make three cups of strawberry tea and set them
aside. Combine 3/4 cup of water with 6 cups of brown sugar and mix very
well. Bring this mixture to a boil and boil hard for one minute. While it's
hot pour it into the strawberry tea. Stir for three minutes. Cover with
tight lids. This syrup, if refrigerated, will keep for three weeks.
food without farming
http://www.motherearthnews.com/top_articles/1971_March_April/Food_Without_Farming_No__5
THE PLOWBOY INTERVIEW
EUELL GIBBONS
http://www.motherearthnews.com/top_articles/1972_May_June/The_Plowboy_Interview__Euell_Gibbons
**Editor's Choice for great reading
American Indian columnist says return to traditional foods is answer to
some diseases
Posted: May 05, 2005
by: John Mohawk / Indian Country Today
It has been apparent for well over a decade that when indigenous peoples
shift from their traditional diet to a ''modern'' highly refined
carbohydrate diet they become exposed to a range of degenerative diseases.
The most pervasive is diabetes mellitus.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410896
Ramps: Demand for wild leek prompts harvest limit
Source: The Associated Press, 3 May 2005
www.washingtonpost.com
RALEIGH, N.C. (USA): Demand for ramps (Allium tricoccum) – a wild leek
prized for its strong flavour – is expanding far from the mountains,
propelled by a craze for regional and seasonal food. So great is the appeal
that officials are trying to limit the annual harvest.
Beginning next year, civic groups that pick wild ramps in the
Nantahala National Forest for use in spring festivals will have to abide by
new Forest Service rules that dictate where and how to pick the plants as
well as levy a 50-cent-a-pound fee. The forest is in far southwestern North
Carolina.
The reason for the change: The government worries that big digs
of ramps are straining natural populations. A Forest Service researcher
eager to help preserve the festivals is accompanying the civic groups on
this year's digs to get a better handle on the true toll from their hauls.
"If we don't figure out a way to manage them, they'll be gone," researcher
Jim Chamberlain said. "If there are no more ramps, there will be no more
ramp festivals."
People in North Carolina still hike miles to pick enough ramps
– which taste like a mix of garlic and scallions – for special suppers
during the four weeks or so that the plants show themselves each spring.
In addition to other rules, the Forest Service says groups
digging for festivals will not be allowed to take more than half of the
plants they find in every square foot of a ramp patch.
Volunteer firehouses, rescue squads and civic groups have long
staged annual ramp festivals to raise money for community causes.
Organizers of the biggest festivals collectively pick more than 3,000
pounds of ramps each year, Chamberlain estimates. It takes 40 to 80 plants
to make a pound.
Ramps range naturally from Canada to North Georgia and west to
Missouri and Minnesota. In Southern Appalachia, ramps are found in rich
moist cove hardwood forests, and prefer elevations above 3,500 feet.
But demand for ramps is expanding far from the mountains,
fueled by a desire for fresh, interesting ingredients.
In 2002, ramps became so popular that the National Park Service
banned ramp collecting in the Great Smoky Mountains for fear they would be
harvested out of existence.
Ramp Fests Add Flavor, Stench, to Appalachian Spring
The differing dates of these spring celebrations allow people to go
"ramp-festival hopping," Burky said. Additional upcoming festivals include
the Wild Foods and Ramp Cook-Off in Deep Creek Lake State Park, Maryland,
tomorrow; the Flag Pond Ramp Festival in Flag Pond, Tennessee, on May 14;
and the Whitetop Mountain Ramp Festival in Whitetop, Virginia, on May 15.
James Chamberlain is a research forest products technologist with the U.S.
Forest Service in Blacksburg, Virginia. Since 2000 he has spent the months
of April and May in the Appalachian Mountains digging ramps with festival
organizers.
He hopes to learn how to manage wild ramps to make sure there are plenty of
the stinky vegetables for generations to come. His data show that, in
total, the major Appalachian ramp festivals go through about 3,200 pounds
(1,450 kilograms) of ramps each spring.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/04/0429_050429_rampsfestivals.html
.Can you eat this?
Rocky Mountain News - Denver,CO,USAMay 21, 2005
... With a cautious approach and a little education, though, nearly anyone
can use edible wild foods to dress up a dehydrated packet of food or become
more self
...http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/recreation/article/0,1299,DRMN_7_3795577,00.html
Ginseng legislation
Source: Wisconsin Ag Connection - Marshfield, WI, USA, 22 April 2005
U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has re-introduced his Ginseng Harvest Labeling
Act. This bill would protected both consumers and producers of ginseng by
requiring that the product be sold at retail with a label clearly
indicating the country that the ginseng was harvested in.
"Wisconsin ginseng especially is widely known as some of the
highest quality ginseng produced anywhere in the world, making it the
target of knock offs world wide," Feingold said. "This bill aims to supply
consumers with reliable labeling of ginseng so there is no confusion as to
where it was grown, what quality it is, or whether it was grown using
dangerous pesticides."
Feingold introduced the bill because smugglers from Canada and
Asia have labeled their ginseng product as "Wisconsin-grown," misleading
consumers and undercutting domestic ginseng growers. Wisconsin ginseng
commands a premium price in world markets because of its high quality and
low chemical residue.
For full story, please see:
www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.cfm?Id=498&yr=2005
Web-posted Mar 31, 2005
By BOB GROSS
Of The Daily Oakland Press
Invasive plant to be served up at benefit
Garlic mustard doesn't taste anything like wild hickory nuts, but Euell
Gibbons would have been happy, nonetheless, with the Michigan Nature
Association's plans for the invasive weed
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/stories/033105/loc_20050331026.shtml
Pine Nut Blessing
DESERT CREEK, Nev. - In an ancient rite of spring that may date back
thousands of years, tribal members from Nevada and California gathered on a
mountainside in Nevada to bless this year's growth of pinon pines to bring
in a good harvest of pine nuts this fall.
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096410922
Plant savers focus on conserving medicinals
"Eleven years ago we looked around and saw that the medicinal herb industry
was burgeoning, it was going into supermarkets and it wasn't just small
health food stores that were carrying these remedies anymore," said
executive director Lynda LeMole. "More people have access to herbal
medicine than ever before."
The increased usage posed a problem, though. According to LeMole,
herbalists noticed that the increase in demand was not being met by a
corresponding increase in supply. The plants were being harvested in the
wild, and the supply was beginning to dwindle."One of the first measures
that United Plant Savers took was to come up with a list of the plants that
we were most concerned about," she said. "
http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050605/NEWS/506050358/1003
Concern for the Arctic Envinroment and food
Spymac - New York,NY,USA
... National politics impact Alaska every day with debate on the Tongass
National Forest, safety of wild foods, pollution caused by cruise ships and
development of ...
II Publications
EVALUATING THE ROLE OF FOREST MANAGEMENT in Hucklebbries
BECKY K. KERNS, SUSAN J. ALEXANDER, AND JOHN D. BAILEY
Economic Botany 58(4) pp. 668–678. 2004
Understory species such as huckleberries (species in the genus Vaccinium)
are important ecosystem components of forest communities in the Pacific
Northwest (Oregon and Washington in the United States, and British
Columbia, Canada). Forest understory species contribute to biological
diversity and long-term ecosystem productivity (Alaback and Herman 1988;
Halpern and Spies 1995), are well correlated with mammalian and avian
abundance (Carey 1995; Carey and Johnson 1995; Morrison 1982), and are
important for wildlife, contributing browse, berries, and cover
(Tirmenstein 1990). Often overlooked, however, is long-standing and
extensive use by humans, generating nontimber forest products (NTFPs).
Current use of huckleberry plants in the Pacific Northwest in the floral
market, as wild food, medicinals, and landscaping.
Susan J. Alexander
Regional Economist
Alaska Region, USDA Forest Service
PO Box 21628
Juneau AK 99802
ph. 907-586-8809
fax 907-586-7852
salexander at fs.fed.us
Report: Cooperation and Coordination are Important for Effective
Management of Invasive Weed
The federal General Accounting Office just released an extensive report
titled Cooperation and Coordination are Important for Effective
Management of Invasive Weeds. It is report #GAO-05-185. It contains
good information on funding sources for invasive plant work. Single hard
copies are available from the GAO, and it is available online in the
library section of www.forestrycenter.org and at
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05185.pdf
EVENTS
SILENT AUCTION
To Benefit National Network of Forest Practioners
The annual meeting committee for NNFP has asked the NTFP working group to
share its love of wild through providing products at silent auction to take
place during the course of its annual meeting in September. Because each of
us who works in the woods can say 1,000 words with just one of the products
we create, our working group can say volumes through donating wildcrafted
items, items related to wild crafting, or works of art. This is a chance
for each of us engaging in creating livelihood from non-timber forest
products to shine. Please contact penny at pinenut.com for additional
information, or questions. All donations are welcome, regardless of
membership in NNFP. It is a great way to introduce people to your company
and your work, while supporting the NNFP.
PLACE: Crummies Creek Tree Farm, Arnoldsburg, Calhoun County, West Virginia
The program is sponsored by: Crummies Creek Tree Farm, Forest Guild Model
Forest Program, WVU Extension, Woodland Owners Association of WV,
Appalachian Hardwood Center, and WV Division of Forestry.
DATE: THURSDAY 23 JUNE 2005 9:00 - 3:30
General notes:
· The morning session will primarily deal with recognizing a
healthy forest understory with discussions on the 2005 WV ginseng law.
· The afternoon session will be in a fertile upland forest location
that was severely impacted by the ice storm of 2003. The area was salvage
logged but has a severe invasion of Ailanthus altissima, Chinese tree of
heaven.
· There are no sanitary facilities in the woods, come prepared!
To register, contact: WV Division of Forestry 304-558-2788
-----------------------------
Goods from the Woods June Hands-on Workshops
June 28, 29 & 30, 2005, Marcell, MN
Goods from the Woods is offering an incredible hands on experience,
teaming up with the US Forest Service to offer classes in June of 2005.
Individuals will learn tips and techniques steeped in tradition to
create artful things. Three June workshops are: Traditional Black Ash
Basketry; Harvesting and weaving with Tree Bark, Roots and more;
Scandinavian Flat Plane Figure Carving
Contact Julie Miedtke at miedt001 at umn.edu or 218-327-7365 or see
http://www.forestrycenter.org/Calendar/detail.cfm?whichevent=1130
-----------------------------
Growing Your Forest Part II and Nuts AND Bolts of Timber Sales
July 30, 2005, Schroeder, MN
Expand the knowledge gained in Growing Your Forest Part I about the best
ways to manage your forest, and learn the in's and out's of a timber
sale.
Contact Susan Seabury at (888) 241-0724 ext. 6466 or sseabury at umn.edu or
see http://www.cnr.umn.edu/cfc/wa/
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Volunteers are wanted to work on a medicinal plant project in Virginia at
the end of June. Please feel free to pass this e-mail along to anyone you
think might be interested. Please contact Jim Chamberlain (see below) if
you are interested in joining us for our first year at the Reddish Knob
study site!
A Future Beneath the Trees: http://www.ntfpconference.ca/
This Symposium addresses the opportunities and challenges of commercial
development of Non-Timber Forest Products and the impacts of
commercialization on rural communities and forest ecosystems. A Future
Beneath the trees is one of three events taking place at Royal Roads
University, August 2005.
SHOP THE WILD TRADESHOW: http://www.shopthewild.com/
Join us in beautiful Victoria, BC for a unique trade show and public
exhibition of non-timber forest products from BC and around the world. The
Centre for Non-Timber Forest Products at Royal Roads University is proud to
host this opportunity for businesses to showcase the vast array of products
being sustainably harvested from forests and other wild areas - from
medicinals and neutraceuticals, wild foods, native plants and floral
products to specialty wood and First Nations crafts, cultural and
eco-experiences. In addition to the trade show and exhibition the public
is invited to participate in lectures, workshops and demonstrations of wild
crafting, wild food preparation and indigenous knowledge.
Buy BC Wild Conference: http://www.royalroads.net/cntr/buybcwild/
The Centre for Non-Timber Resources invites you to attend an important
event in August 2005 designed to make your business more competitive in the
B.C. and global markets. Non-Timber Forest Products play an increasingly
significant role in rural economic development as domestic and
international consumers become aware of the rich variety that forests and
other wild areas have to offer - from natural health products, wild foods,
native plants and floral products to specialty wood and First Nations art,
cultural and eco-experiences. Business experts and academics will share
their knowledge and experience to help you build your business sustainably.
Learn about harvest to consumption cycles, building effective business
plans, expanding into new markets and ideas for addressing resource tenure
issues .
Contact us at ntfp at royalroads.ca for more information.
FUNDING AND Grant Announcements
:
I. 2005 Native Plant Conservation
Initiative
II. The Lawrence Fund
III. Merck Family Fund
IV. Air Products
I. 2005 Native Plant Conservation Initiative- National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is offering the 2005 Native
Plant Conservation Initiative, which provides federal dollars to
nonprofit organizations and government agencies to promote the
conservation of native plants. There is a strong preference for
"on-the-ground" projects that involve local communities and citizen
volunteers in the restoration of native plant communities. Projects
that include a pollinator conservation component are also encouraged.
Grants range from $5,000 to $40,000 with an average grant size of
$15,000. It is expected that all grant funds will be matched by
non-federal contributions from project partners.
The pre-proposal deadline is August 15, 2005.
More Information: http://www.nfwf.org/programs/npci.htm
II. The Lawrence Foundation
The Lawrence Foundation is a private charitable foundation focused on
making charitable contributions and grants to support educational,
environmental, health and other causes. Nonprofit organizations that
qualify for public charity status under section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code or public schools and libraries are eligible
for contributions or grants. This is a relatively new grantmaking
foundation, so their priorities are very broad. This is a good
opportunity to educate more about the watersheds of Appalachia. The
Lawrence Foundation does have a list of grants the foundation will
not make, mostly for equipment.
Grants are awarded twice a year. There is a one or two step process
1) a letter of inquiry and in some cases 2) a request for a full
proposal. Letters of inquiry are open to any organization that wishes
to be considered for a grant that meets the grant guidelines. In many
cases the letter of inquiry provides sufficient information to make a
decision. In some cases we may ask for a full proposal to provide
additional information to make a decision. If you do not receive an
invitation to submit a full proposal that does not necessarily mean
your letter or inquiry is not under consideration.
Deadline: August 1, 2005
More Information:
http://www.thelawrencefoundation.org/grant/guidelines.html
III. Merck Family Fund
The Fund has two areas of priority to help achieve a healthy planet.
The first is the protection of vital ecosystems in the eastern US.
The second is supporting the shift towards environmentally
sustainable economic systems, incentives, and behaviors.
Protecting and Restoring Vital Eastern Ecosystems
Urban sprawl, resource extraction, and poorly enforced environmental
regulations place enormous pressures on the natural environment. At
the same time, the remaining undeveloped areas are vital to many
communities for economic and recreational purposes and essential to
the survival of countless species of wildlife. The dynamic tensions
result in the need for sustainable uses that are environmentally
sound, economically viable, and socially accountable.
Specifically, the Fund is interested in programs that:
recognize the need for and practice of sustainable forestry;
include the support and participation of people living in or
near the impacted area; and
protect and preserve ecologically valuable land.
Ecosystem grants are restricted to the following geographic areas:
The southern Appalachian spruce-fir and hardwood forests of
Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia,
and Virginia;
This Fund may be useful for conserving land around the watershed.
New requests for support to the Merck Family Fund should be made by a
letter of inquiry rather than with a full proposal or a request for a
personal meeting. Letters of inquiry may be submitted at any time.
Hard copy format is preferred over fax or email transmission. But
the deadline for full proposals is August 1, 2005!
More Information: http://www.merckff.org/grantguidelines.html
IV. Air Products
The Air Products Corporate Contributions Program provides support to
nonprofit organizations in the headquarters community in Allentown,
PA as well as in those communities throughout the U.S. where the
company has a significant employee presence or investment. There are
at least two sites in each state across Appalachia. (A list of
company locations is available on the Air Products website.) The
areas of grantmaking interest include: pre-college and higher
education; community and economic development; arts and culture;
health, human services, and fitness; and environment and safety.
There are no deadlines for contribution requests.
The health and well-being of our employees and our neighbors in the
communities where we operate, and the impact our operations have on
the land, water, and air we all share are subjects of great
importance to us. Along those lines, priority consideration is given
to the following types of organizations:
Environmental and conservation programs with a priority on
preserving and improving the natural surroundings of a
community, enhancing air and water quality, recycling, waste
minimization, and general conservation efforts
More Information:
http://www.airproducts.com/Responsibility/SocialResponsibility/page15.htm
More grant opportunities at www.easterncoal.org (archives)!
The FY 2006 RFA for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program
is now posted on our website at
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/rfas/sbir_rfa.html. The closing date
for submitting Phase I grant applications is September 1, 2005. One of the
biggest differences this year is that the agricultural part of Rural and
Community Development has been split off as a new topic area that is called
Small and Mid-Size Farms. This topic area will be focused on developing
new technologies to promote the sustainability and profitability of small
and mid-size farms and ranches. Grant proposals have to be submitted by
for-profit small business firms but university personnel can participate as
consultants or subcontractors. If you know anyone who might have an
interest in the SBIR program please let them know about this opportunity.
We expect a budget next year of close to $20 million and we will fund about
90 projects in all areas of agricultural research. Questions about the
program can be submitted to me or to one of the other SBIR NPLs, Peter
Burfening, Bill Goldner, Richard Hegg or Suresh Sureshwaran.
Charles F. Cleland, Ph.D
SBIR National Program Leader
USDA/CSREES
Stop 2243, 1400 Independence Ave., SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-2243
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