Project: Non-Timber Forest Products
(NTFPs)
A commonly accepted definition of non-timber forest products is any goods derived from forest plants or animals, other than timber or firewood. This definition encompasses a great number of possible products!
The forests of New Brunswick have been managed for resources for many years. Historically, most of the products harvested from our forests were logs and pulpwood.
“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. Many people use forests for recreation and for "getting away from it all."“ **
In Spring 2022, the NBFWO was chosen to receive funding from the GNB Environmental Trust Fund as part of a 3-year project, in collaboration with renowned NTFP expert Dr. Ron Smith.
The first step in this project is the creation of a train-the-trainer guide and manual. This will be used to train people interested in sharing knowledge about NTFPs - what they are, various uses they may have, how to harvest them sustainably, etc.. There are so many types of NTFPs in New Brunswick that this is a big task!
Next will come the testing of the training materials, training-the-trainers, and then sharing the information far and wide with as many people as possible.
** (from woodlot.novascotia.ca)
Watch the video recording of NTFP project introduction webinar
March 20, 2023