Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Eyes on the Understory: New Directions for Non-timber Forest Products in Appalachia
Session Abstract or Summary
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as ramps, paw paws, goldenseal, and ginseng are iconic symbols of Appalachia. Gathering and using the array of plants and fungi found in diverse Appalachian Forests, and the shared knowledge those practices require are meaningful sources of livelihood and cultural identity. In addition, NTFPs can provide sustenance, medicine and income while leaving forests intact.
Despite their ecological, cultural and economic value, little is known about the scope and impact of Appalachian NTFP harvests. Most are not intentionally grown or managed, leading to concerns about the sustainability of their use, particularly for commercially traded species. These concerns, coupled with growing interest in foraging, Appalachian foodways and alternative medicine create opportunities for cultivating native Appalachian forest plants in agroforestry systems, and for productively managing wild populations.
Our panel will give a brief overview of NTFPs in Appalachia, and the possibilities and the challenges they offer for Appalachian communities. We will present examples of participatory and collaborative approaches to applied NTFP research: incorporating traditional ecological knowledge and values in developing management practices; organizing NTFP producers at the local and regional level; providing technical and material support for establishment and certification of forest farming operations and how to build networks of stakeholders to help create a viable market for cultivated and sustainably stewarded Appalachian NTFPs.
Presentation #1 Title
An Overview of Non-timber Forest Products in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Harvesting medicinal, edible and decorative plants and fungi has a long history in Appalachian forests, and today the practice remains a source of livelihood, identity and sense of place within Appalachian communities. This presentation will provide an introduction to non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and an overview of their use in Appalachia. They can be, among other things: roots, nuts and berries, barks, vines, foliage or mushrooms. Most are wild-harvested from lands treated as commons, which are often corporate or publicly owned. They are collected for personal use, and sold through local and global supply chains. They are harvested in rural and urban areas, by descendants of the region’s earliest inhabitants and by the most recent. Knowledge about them is being shared across generations and across social media. Biophysical, socio-economic and political realities all influence NTFP activity differently throughout what is often considered a homogenous region. Commercially traded NTFPs in Appalachia and elsewhere are often simultaneously viewed as a source of sustainable income for struggling communities, and a means to conserve forest ecosystems, especially in areas threatened by resource extraction or development. However, the status of wild NTFP populations are not systemically monitored, and the size and distribution of harvests are unknown for most species, making it difficult to assess their sustainability. Efforts to steward, manage or cultivate NTFPs face many challenges. Recent collaborations between grass-roots organizations, research institutions, and NTFP users and businesses are creating new ideas for how to overcome them.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Steve Kruger is a Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech. He studies the human dimensions of non-timber forest products.
Presentation #2 Title
Leaving Roots: Cherokee Cultural Perspectives on Ramps and Ramp Harvesting
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Ramps are the iconic spring green of Appalachia. A beloved food, ramps are also conduits of cultural memory and identity. The recent rise in popularity of ramps as a forest delicacy have raised questions about their sustainable use. Understanding the impacts of different harvesting techniques and the cultural values underpinning them are integral to developing management approaches that ensure the long-term availability of ramps. However, Native American, specifically Cherokee, perspectives, about ramps and methods for their sustainable harvest are underrepresented in policy prescriptions and popular literature.
This paper will introduce an innovative partnership formed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the US Forest Service, Virginia Tech, and the North Carolina Arboretum to integrate traditional knowledge into the sustainable management of ramps and other culturally significant NTFPs. We have designed and are implementing a series of experiments to understand the effects of different harvest techniques and intensities on ramps. Our botanical work is coupled with community interviews about ramps and other edible plants that focus on gathering methods and timing, ecological conditions and cultural significance. Firsthand Cherokee perspectives regarding the ecological, familial and cultural relations forged by ramps will be emphasized.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Presenters:
Michelle Baumflek is a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Department of Forest and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech focused on traditional knowledge and sustainable plant harvesting.
Tyson Sampson is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He is a community researcher who holds detailed knowledge about plants and their uses.
Jim Chamberlain is a Research Technologist for the US Forest Service. He is a national expert on ramps and other eastern NTFPs.
Additional Authors:
Tommy Cabe is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. He is the Tribe’s Forest Resource Specialist.
John Munsell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on forest farming in temperate ecosystems.
Presentation #3 Title
Community development of non-timber forest product livelihood opportunities in Grayson County, Virginia
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Non-timber forest products (NTFPs), or products excluding timber intentionally grown or stewarded from or among trees, have great potential to contribute to sustainable rural livelihoods in Appalachia. Over 50 NTFPs grow wild in this region, with ample room to do so in the large percentage of forest land comprising the landscape. However, Appalachia has underestimated and underutilized this strategy for building sustainable livelihoods, perhaps because these products present greater complexity and diversity in their production and marketing . Some research has been conducted on the commercialization process of underutilitized species, but it hasn’t explored NTFPs or the dynamics within a US context, let alone within Appalachia. Studies in the related field of agroforestry have only just begun to characterize the adoption of practices that produce NTFPs as a community issue and social process. We conducted a 3-year action research study in Grayson County, Virginia to understand how a rural Appalachian community organizes to overcome these obstacles. The community was involved in developing the research project, which included 14 key informant interviews of growers, harvesters, buyers, and community members and document analysis of meeting minutes, press releases, and workshop agendas of the grassroots NTFP growers group in the community. Initial review of the interview data suggests that development of NTFPs requires social capital, innovation, and collective action to generate the success necessary for the wide spread viability of this sustainable livelihood opportunity.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Katie Trozzo is a PhD candidate at Virginia tech and facilitator of the Blue Ridge Woodland Growers, a community group focused on non-timber forest products aka NTFPs (ex. fruits, nuts, berries, woodland medicinals, mushrooms). Her research fellowship has landed her in Grayson County, Virginia to live and study the nuances of producing and marketing NTFPs in a rural area.
John Munsell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on forest farming in temperate ecosystems.
Presentation #4 Title
Building a Forest Farmer Coalition in Appalachia
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Funded by USDA NIFA under the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition (ABFFC) is the first of its kind within the BFRDP program to focus specifically on native understory medicinal plant forest farming. The coalition’s main objective is to increase opportunities for small-scale farmers and forestland owners in Appalachia and beyond who are interested in starting or expanding/diversifying a forest farming operation. The ABFFC provides technical training and resources to help farmers begin or expand cultivation and conservation of non-timber forest medicinal products. It also works to supply verified and organic forest grown raw material to herbal product industries by providing technical, administrative, and market sales training, and opportunities for farmer-farmer and farmer-industry representative networking over three years. The coalition is building farm resource inventory and plant habitat management support services for landowners across the region by providing targeted medicinal plant forest farming trainings to extension and other agency service personnel and linking them with forest farmers in the area. The project is an Appalachian-wide collaboration across diverse academic institutions and governmental and non-governmental organizations. This presentation will cover agroforestry and forest farming, discuss the need for a coalition and support services toward assisting landowners and seekers, provide a summary of accomplishments to date, and conclude with information about next steps.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
John Munsell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation at Virginia Tech. His research focuses on forest farming in temperate ecosystems.
Holly Chittum is Extension project associate in the department of forest resources and environmental conservation at Virginia Tech and co-director of the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition.
An Overview of Non-timber Forest Products in Appalachia
Harvesting medicinal, edible and decorative plants and fungi has a long history in Appalachian forests, and today the practice remains a source of livelihood, identity and sense of place within Appalachian communities. This presentation will provide an introduction to non-timber forest products (NTFPs), and an overview of their use in Appalachia. They can be, among other things: roots, nuts and berries, barks, vines, foliage or mushrooms. Most are wild-harvested from lands treated as commons, which are often corporate or publicly owned. They are collected for personal use, and sold through local and global supply chains. They are harvested in rural and urban areas, by descendants of the region’s earliest inhabitants and by the most recent. Knowledge about them is being shared across generations and across social media. Biophysical, socio-economic and political realities all influence NTFP activity differently throughout what is often considered a homogenous region. Commercially traded NTFPs in Appalachia and elsewhere are often simultaneously viewed as a source of sustainable income for struggling communities, and a means to conserve forest ecosystems, especially in areas threatened by resource extraction or development. However, the status of wild NTFP populations are not systemically monitored, and the size and distribution of harvests are unknown for most species, making it difficult to assess their sustainability. Efforts to steward, manage or cultivate NTFPs face many challenges. Recent collaborations between grass-roots organizations, research institutions, and NTFP users and businesses are creating new ideas for how to overcome them.
