New methods for estimating non-timber forest product output: an Appalachian case study
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Assessing the size and structure of non-timber forest product (NTFP) markets is difficult due to a lack of knowledge about NTFP supply chains. Harvesting ginseng and other wild medicinal plants has long provided a source of income and cultural identity in Appalachian communities in the eastern United States. With the exception of ginseng, the extent of the harvest of medicinal forest products is unknown. Surveys with ginseng dealers about other NTFPs generate data on the trade volume for a variety of other products, and the geographic distribution of their harvest. A multi-method approach is required to fully utilize and contextualize these data. Socio-economic data on the study area integrated with FIA data can help explain harvest distribution. Interviews with buyers put the data in the context of the practice of the trade and a complex fluctuating market.