Northern Forest Diversification Centre

The mission of the Northern Forest Diversification Centre (NFDC) is to support the economic development of First Nations communities in Northern Manitoba, Canada, through training, marketing and sales of non-timber forest products (NTFP) indigenous to the boreal forest. NFDC offers training o­n the identification, ecology, sustainable harvesting, handling practices, aboriginal issues, value added processing, and marketing of local NTFPs. A full-time marketing manager coordinates over 350 NTFP harvesters from more than 25 communities. NFDC also assists individual producers with their own market development.

NFDC sells over 300 products based o­n NTFPs through retail outlets and an o­nline catalogue, including crafts, florals, wild foods, and wild medicinal products. Examples of these products include:

• Boreal forest soaps, salves, lip balms, and gift sets
• Boreal forest tea blends and gift sets
• Wreaths and floral supplies, including seasonal fresh balsam and cedar wreaths
• Craft kits from angels to miniature log cabins
• Walking sticks and canes
• Indigenous Traditions product line including a variety of smudge products, sweetgrass, miniature dream catchers, talking sticks, and medicine bags
• Antler jewelry, hand-made woodblock print cards, Bird feeders, birch bark biting products such as light catchers and tealight holders
• Bulk botanicals such as senega root, Labrador tea leaf, highbush cranberry bark, black poplar buds, sweet flag root, Labrador tea leaf, bearberry leaf, etc.