Nontimber Forest Products

Array of Products

This section presents the most current knowledge about nontimber-based plant products that are harvested from oak ecosystems. These products have been important since humans first inhabited these forests, but nontimber products have been largely overlooked in forest management. Starting in the early 1990s, interest in these products and concern for the ecological sustainability of the resources from which they originate have grown tremendously. Since then, a great deal of progress has been made toward managing forests for these products. New laws have been passed that mandate more active management. Research has been initiated to determine sustainable harvest levels, and studies are underway to better understand the social and economic factors that are influenced by collection activities. Nevertheless many forest managers still lack sufficient information to make sound management decisions about nontimber products.

We begin this section with various definitions and background material about the wide diversity of these products. We then briefly describe many of the products gathered from oak ecosystems. An historical perspective to NTFP collection is followed by an overview of the markets for nontimber forest products, which includes examples of specific products. The next section discusses current management activities on public forests, including laws and legislation, regulations and the national strategy. Finally, we present and discuss issues that affect the sustainability of the resources and the way of life that has evolved around these products.