SWEETGRASS (1 of 2) (Muhlenbergia filipes) Poaceae – grass family

SWEETGRASS (1 of 2) (Muhlenbergia filipes) Gullah basket weavers in lowcountry of NC & GA use techniques derived from West Africa

SWEETGRASS (1) (Hierochlöe odorata) Poaceae – grass family

Otto Wilhelm Thomé: Flora von Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz (1885) l SWEETGRASS (1) (Hierochlöe odorata) Poaceae – grass family

Plants and Markets / NTFPs Courtesy of Dr Terry Sutherland, NTFP Market at Yaounde. Photo Michael Hailu

NTFP “Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are any product or service other than timber that is produced in forests. They include fruits and nuts, vegetables, fish and game, medicinal plants, resins, essences and a range of barks and fibres such as bamboo, rattans, and a host of other palms and grasses.” CIFOR – Center for International Forestry Research

Examples of NTFPs * Aromatic plants * Bamboo * Charcoal * Dye plants * Fuel Wood * Honey * Medicinal plants * Mushrooms * Rattan (Calamus spp.) * Thatching and plaiting plant materials Econ. Bot (1):3-13

Why study NTFPs? Assess the value of what is being lost as forests are cut down (to advocate for conservation). Promote trade in NTFPs as a means for sustainable development to help improve livelihoods of poor people in these habitats. Assess the ecological effects of harvest on the harvested species and other species.

NTFP in tropical forests Gathered edibles: Brazil nuts, cashews, cupuaçu, many other fruits Rubber Bamboo, rattan Wood carving, fuelwood (vs. “non wood” forest products)

estimated value of fruit, latex, and sustainable selective cutting of timber compared to estimate of value of clear-cutting of timber at one time –calculated US$6,820/ha vs. ~US$1000/ha local, decentralized markets “ignored” (vs. timber) but did not include medicinal plants, lianas, small palms, and did not consider spoilage of fruit, etc. first such study – many others have followed up with modified methods

Econ. Bot (1):3-13

NTFPs in the USA WILD BERRY WINE Image by Kathryn A. Lynch assortment of wild berry wines from Minnesota Wild from locally gathered berries MUSHROOMS Image by Kathryn A. Lynch wild mushrooms and truffles stewardship harvesting practices. IFCAE Institute for Culture and Ecology

NTFPs in the USA TURPENTINE Image by Eric T. Jones The bark on this pine tree has been scarred for turpentine production. In the early 20th century the turpentine industry was a major part of the U.S. forest economy, but has since been mostly replaced by inexpensive imports and by-products produced in modern wood product mills. RAMPS Allium tricoccum Image by Eric T. Jones A field of ramps in Michigan.

NTFPs in the USA WREATHS Image by Eric T. Jones A wreath made by Flora Pacifica from locally gathered NTFPs near the southwestern Oregon coast SWEET GRASS Image by Kathryn A. Lynch Sweet grass has been harvested for centuries as a part of the traditional Gullah basketmaking culture in coastal South Carolina.

Issues to consider about NTFPs sustainability legal gathering rights market development / diversification transportation / spoilage value added locally impact of logging or grazing conservation of habitats ecological effects of harvest practices –see Ticktin paper in reading assignments