ForestUSA has been engaged in marketing Non Timber Forest Products for the good of global populance. Interest in non-timber forest products (NTFPs) is increasing rapidly. At present there are numerous efforts to increase awareness of these products, their management and market potential. However, there is a shortage of information available and there are few means effective in disseminating the information necessary for the sustainable management and marketing of these resources and products. ForestUSA has pursued the common goal aimed by the Virginia Tech Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station and the Top of the Ozarks RC&D in Missouri, through the initial support of the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Economic Action Programs, which seek to provide information in simple formats and serve as a national clearing house that is useful by NTFP harvesters and growers, marketers, processors, and end-users. What are non timber forest products which we, ForestUSA, market through the global community?

FOREST FOREVER

Edible Products Edible products include mushrooms, seeds, nuts, fruits & berries, wildlife, greens and roots.    Wholesale or commercial wild collection of most of these products would not provide enough volume to make market sale possible and profitable and would deplete and likely endanger the resource for both local human use and for wildlife.

Wild blueberry Crab apple Bramble berry Grapes Elderberry Cranberry Mulberry Teaberry Gooseberry Mayapple Persimmon Paw paw Fruits and Berries

Nuts Natural Resource A nut is a seed embryo encased in a hard shell which contains high amounts of protein and source of food for many centuries in Appalachia.source of food for many centuries in Appalachia. Black Walnut Pecan

Boletus Chanterelle Chicken of the woods Hedgehog Honey Matsuke Morel Oyster Shaggy manes Shiitake Mushrooms Common Types

Specialty Wood Products Specialty Wood Products are made from indigenous Appalachian woods such as , , , , ,  , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yellow Birch	Cottonwood	Basswood	Poplar	Oak	Walnut
Maple	Ash	Cherry	Plum	Apple	Cedar
Spruce	Elm	Butternut	Diamond Willow	Sumac	Smoky Tree

baskets	furniture	carvings	bowls	firewood	musical instruments
walking sticks		maple syrup	bird and bat houses	crafts	Engraved Wood

Curly Maple	Black Walnut	Appalachian Red Spruce	Eastern Red Cedar
Western Red Cedar	Redwood	Mahogany	Ebony

Mouth Bow	The mouth bow, often made of hickory or red cedar, is the least common of all the instruments. It is a simple wooden bow, like a hunting bow, with a string or wire tied to each end.
Fiddle	The fiddle is the most widely accepted Appalachian mountain instrument. Settlers brought the first fiddles from Europe and began manufacturing them from tree species native to Appalachia.
Banjo	The banjo is known as the only musical instrument indigenous to America. However, its forerunner may have been brought by slaves from Africa or the West Indies. The first banjo made in Appalachia was made by Joel Walker Sweeney, born in 1810 in nearby Tennessee.
Dulcimer	The dulcimer, often made of pine or cherry, has its origins in northern Europe and has had a spotty existence in North America. It was first found in Pennsylvania in the 1770s and later in Appalachia, where the dulcimer acquired a curvy shape, less rectangular than the dulcimer of Pennsylvania.
Guitar	The guitar came late to Appalachia in comparison with the other instruments. It wasn't until well into the 20th century that the guitar gained acceptance. By the 1930s the guitar was commonplace, quickly becoming a vital part of the popular Appalachia stringed band.

Marketing Market outlets for musical instruments made in Southwest Virginia depend on the quality of the instrument. Musical instrument making is highly competitive and festivals, such as bluegrass festivals, are held where the makers show off, compare, and sell instruments. Dulcimers are seen in gift stores in tourist locations such as Abingdon, Virginia and at local craft shows and festivals. The market channels for instruments usually involve word of mouth or specialized advertising. Many producers use regional craft fairs or agents to sell their products.

Decorative Products Medicinal Products Medicinal and herbal raw materials are processed into final form [i.e. capsule, pill, cosmetic, tea, lotion, etc.] by industry and distributed throughout the world to health food stores, over-the-counter drug stores, and prescription drug pharmacies. Value addition at the collector's level is highly limited due to lack of available resources and lack of market knowledge. Dealers usually require that collectors clean, dry, and sort medicinal and herbal products. Some dealers dry and sort them into bigger bales and sacks for sale to other buyers. Usually, local processing of medicinal and herbal products will violate the Pure Food and Cosmetic Act which prohibits the sale of patent or proprietary medicine. Even at the dealer level, value addition is limited due to strict quality and safety standards of the Food and Drug Administration and industrial buyers. Often buyers will conduct chemical analysis on each bale of raw material and if the product fails to meet their standards or that of the Food and Drug Administration, the whole batch may be returned to the dealer. Natural Resource Natural medicinal and herbal products involves the use of leaves, stems, roots, bark, seeds, fruit, flowers and buds to make teas, tonics, powder, snuff, poultices, salves, tinctures, lotions, and smoke inhalers. Traditionally, these products formed the basis for medical care in rural southern Appalachia. With the advent of synthetic and manufactured medicines, natural healing fell out of common use but the knowledge of plant properties continues to be passed down through generations and many continue to gather for use in their home. Herbs and medicinal products are a very important part of modern medicine and health supplement industries. Plants provide treatments for such diseases as cancer, leukemia, heart disease, and pain relief for major trauma. Over 40% of prescription drugs, or over $15 billion in sales in 1997, contain at least one natural element. Also, the demand for natural health supplements is growing rapidly around the world. However, industry, government, and individuals now recognize that the growing consumer interest jeopardizes these products' sustainability in the wild. In April of 1998, a coalition of scientists, conservation organizations, botanical gardens, and museums released the results of a twenty year global assessment of plants at risk which established a conservative estimate that 29% of the United States 16,000 plant species are at risk of extinction. Medicinal plants are at risk from over-harvesting and loss of habitat caused by urban development and suburban sprawl. Priority Medicinal and Herbal Plants Black cohosh root * Bloodroot * Blue cohosh root * Catnip herb * Echinacea Ginseng herb & root * Goldenseal herb & root * Lobelia herb * Mayapple * Pink root * Red clover blossoms Sassafras leaves, bark & root Slippery elm bark * Solomon seal root Star grub root St. John's wort Sweet gum Wild cherry bark Wild ginger root Wild hydrangea Witch hazel bark & leaves * are on the United Plant Savers AT RISK list. Of the species on the United Plant Savers AT RISK list, 83% are roots or rhizomes; so collection destroys not only the plants but thousands of seeds. All the At Risk species are perennials and data is scanty on how old a plant has to be before they display the characteristic for which they are harvested. Ginger must be 10 years old and ginseng needs 6-10 years to be worth harvesting. Long lived perennials cannot rebound quickly like annual or shorter lived plants. Black Cohosh Catnip Echinacea Ginseng Goldenseal Slippery elm St. John's Wort Sweet gum Decorative Products Many forest plants and parts of plants are used in decorative arrangements, to complement and furnish the backdrop for flowers, as well as for the main component of dried ornaments. The end-use of these forest plants include wreaths, baskets, greenery, roping, Spanish moss, galax, vines, white pine greenery and dried flowers. The following is a list, in no way complete, of resources that are used to make decorative products.