Module 13: Non Timber Forest Products:
Growing Opportunities
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

The forests of Nova Scotia have been managed for resources for many years. Historically, most of the products harvested from our forests were logs and pulpwood, which have been extensively inventoried and researched. Increasingly however, forests are being considered useful for more than timber products. Clean air and water, crucial for our planet’s health, originate in forests. Forests are also important sources of biodiversity and support populations of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fungi, lichens, bacteria and other forms of life. Forests have aesthetic and spiritual values too.NTFPs have been important whenever humans have settled and will continue to provide important opportunities for woodland owners.

Forests can provide other products used in today’s society, some of which can be sold for profit. It may be difficult sometimes to calculate the commercial value of a Non Timber Forest Product. Often, no dollar value can be assigned to a particular product or service.

This module provides a brief account of NTFPs and their potentials, an overview of managing NTFPs and marketing strategies and, explains how to practice sound integrated forestry management without damaging valuable resources.