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Non-timber forest products in Hawaii

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Hawaiian forests provide a wide array of non-timber forest products for both traditional and modern uses. Flowers, vines, and ferns are collected for creating garlands or lei for hula dances and parades. Lei made from materials gathered in the forest are made for personal use and sold, especially during graduation times. Bamboo is harvested for structures and for making traditional Japanese New Year’s ornaments or kadomatsu. Firewood is collected for traditional earth ovens. While some local gathering might impact local resources, little is known about amounts of non-timber forest products collected or locations where NTFPs are harvested. We will survey sellers and users of non-timber products at cultural festivals and analyze state collection permit records to assess amounts, economic and cultural value, and locations for non-timber products collected in Hawaii. Our data will shed light in importance of NTFPs in Hawaii and highlight management needs.

Parent Publication

Citation

Kamelamela, Katie; Friday, James B.; Ticktin, Tamara; Lehman, Ashley. 2015. Non-timber forest products in Hawaii. In: Stanton, Sharon M.; Christensen, Glenn A., comps. 2015. Pushing boundaries: new directions in inventory techniques and applications: Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) symposium 2015. 2015 December 8–10; Portland, Oregon. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-931. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. p. 328.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/50407