Vermont's Non-Timber Forest Products

Introduction to non-timber forest products in Vermont Province People around the world rely on the surrounding natural environment to do a lot of things. Food, medicine, crafts, evacuation centers etc. Although it is a western world, we quickly forgot the importance of the natural resource of nature with us. Non-timber forest products are found all over the world and serve both individuals and larger markets. People of all walks are collecting NTFP, from just picking fruits on foot to foods, medicines and ones most dependent on these products for living.

Thorough management of non-timber forest products has significant levels both domestically and internationally, but potentially these resources are lost due to the destruction of tropical forests. In the Amazon region, over 2 million people rely on rubber, Brazil nuts and other "secondary" forest products without compromising the biological integrity of the rainforest. Recent studies have shown that the value of non-timber forest products often go far beyond the value of tropical forest timber. The economic value of small forest products in the city (including fruits, resins and chemicals) is actually 9 to 1 above the value of wood-based forests, according to a survey by the rain forest in Peru.

The greatest contribution of multifunctional forest theory is to recognize that protection of non-timber forest products and natural forest tourism is as valuable as that of forestry wood products. Furthermore, as the needs of society change, the value of the former will continue to increase, reaching a dominant position. Through multipurpose management it is necessary to establish a reasonable structure to maximize the benefit of mankind using multiple functions of the forest.

Until recently, the focus of forest assessment and monitoring was the amount of forest remaining (area) and / or its normal amount of timber. Various advantages and functions of the forest, such as provision of non-timber forest products, hydrological function, carbon sequestration, conservation of biodiversity, are recognized and recommended for consideration in forest evaluation. Whether it is wood production or biodiversity conservation, it is not believed now that all the forests are equal. The international community emphasizes the evaluation and monitoring of the ability of forests to provide a range of services and communicating this information to policy makers and policy makers as well as the public (Nyyssonen & Ahti 1996)

This document describes several ways to generate indicators of biodiversity related forest situation that can be used for global consistent evaluation. It focuses primarily on indicators related to forest fragmentation and exposure to human activity.