[MPWG] ARTICLE: Sustainable Forest Management for Nontimber Products

[De Angelis, Patricia]

by James Chamberlain, Christine Small, and Michelle Baumflek
in Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2670

Abstract:
Many of the plants and fungi that are harvested for nontimber products
(e.g., foods, medicines, crafts) are critical to healthy forest ecosystems.
These products also are essential to rural societies, contributing to the
material and nonmaterial composition of communities and cultures. Product
sales make important contributions at all economic scales, from household
to national economies. Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) have been
harvested for generations, sometimes centuries, yet they are seldom
integrated into forest management. Few methods exist for inventory and
assessment, and there is little evidence that harvests are sustainable.
This article examines three elements of sustainable forest management for
nontimber products: sociocultural, economic, and ecological, and elaborates
with detailed examples of edible and medicinal species from United States
(U.S.) forests. We synthesize the state of knowledge and emerging issues,
and identify research priorities that are needed to advance sustainable
management of NTFPs in the United States. Despite their social, economic,
and ecological values, many of these species and resources are threatened
by the overuse and lack of management and market integration. Sustainable
management for nontimber products is attainable, but much research and
development is needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of these
resources and their cultural values, and to realize their economic
potentials.

Link: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/9/2670/htm
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