GENERATING INCOME WITH NON-TIMBER PRODUCTS
How to Profit From Your Land With Hunting Leases (Women Owning Woodlands)
Given the demand for quality hunting experiences and the shrinking supply of available hunting land, many woodland owners are using hunting leases as a low-stress way to profit from their woods. If your land is rich in wildlife and offers good amenities for hunters, you may want to consider hunting leases.
More than Timber: Income Opportunities from Non-timber Forest Products (Woodland Stewards webinar)
There are a range of possibilities to generate income from your woodlands that depend on your location, forest type and more, that are compatible with timber management too. In this session learn more about the opportunities to generate income from your woodlands.
Producing Firewood From Your Woodlot (NC State Forestry Extension)
Woodlot owners can benefit from firewood production in at least three ways: 1) Save fuel cost by burning firewood. 2) Generate income by selling firewood. and 3) Improve timber quality, species composition, and growth rate by removing undesirable trees for firewood.
Managing Longleaf Pinestraw (NC State Forestry Extension)
Many forest owners do not realize that it is possible to sell a longleaf pine tree’s annual deposit of needles. But in fact, wise management of this resource can substantially increase an owner’s income from forestland.
Analysis of the Economic Viability of Cultivating Selected Botanicals in North Carolina (Strategic Reports, Inc.)
The objective of this study is to determine the economic viability of cultivating selected botanicals in North Carolina. The botanicals listed in the table below were selected for two reasons. The botanicals analyzed are: American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), Black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), False unicorn (Chamaelirium luteum), Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba), Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) , Narrow-leaf purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia), Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), Wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), and Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa).
Collection to Commerce: Western North Carolina Non-Timber Forest Products and Their Markets (N.C. State Dept. of Horticulture)
Traditionally, forest botanicals, with the exception of ginseng, were collected primarily for personal use. Today the trend is towards large-scale collection for commerce in rapidly expanding commercial markets far away from the areas of harvest (Kauffman, 2001). For example, at least 175 species of plants native to North America are currently sold in the non-prescription medicinal market in the United States; and more than 140 medicinal herbs native to North America have been documented in herbal products and phytomedicines in foreign countries (Robbins, 1999). Approximately half of the above mentioned 175 species occur within the Southern Appalachians.
Why add Edible and Floral Plants to Riparian Forest Buffers? (National Agroforestry Center)
This information sheet provides examples of how these plants can be added to riparian forest buffers in the Appalachian region and harvested and sold a trail or wholesale markets, and used at home.
What is Forest Farming (National Agroforestry Center)
Forest Farming, or Multi-Story Cropping, is a distinctive approach to land management that combines management practices of conventional forestry with those of small-scale farming or gardening to attain an environmentally and economically sustainable land-use system.
Seeing the Non-timber Products for the Trees (National Agroforestry Center)
This issue of Inside Agroforestry provides a glimpse into the forest, beyond the obvious, to get you seeing the non-timber forest products for the trees.
Small Scale Mushroom Production (YouTube webinar, Cornell Extension and Wellspring Farm)
Webinar featuring Steve Gabriel of Cornell Extension and Wellspring Farm
How, When and Why of Forest Farming (Cornell Cooperative Extension)
The collection of on-line resources at this site will introduce you to principles and practices of forest farming. This material is organized into the seven topical units – intro to forest farming, site assessment and crop selection, medicinal crops, mushrooms, maple sugar, fruits and nuts and specialty crops.
An Introduction to Forest Carbon Offset Markets (N.C. State Forestry Extension)
Forest carbon is considered as a forest product that can be a viable alternative source of income for forest landowners. This note describes the forest carbon market today and explains the possible opportunity it represents for certain forests.
Producing Shitake Mushrooms: A Guide for Small Scale Outdoor Cultivation on Logs (N.C. State Extension)
Because shiitake mushrooms grow on logs, many growers make mushroom production part of their woodlot management plan.
Growing American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in Forestlands (Virginia Cooperative Extension)
Farming alternative crops, like American ginseng, is becoming more popular among forestland owners. Ginseng is a native medicinal herb and can be deliberately cultivated under a forest canopy. This article provides Extension agents, foresters and landowners with information on ginseng and how it can be profitably farmed in the forest.
Ginseng: A Production Guide for North Carolina (North Carolina Cooperative Extension)
Ginseng is valued by people in many nations who believe it has health-promoting properties. The root of American ginseng has been collected for export to the Orient since early in the 18th century. Ginseng production is not a quick or easy way to get rich. By its very nature, growing ginseng requires great patience. There are also hazards to its culture. But ginseng is an unusual and mysterious plant, and its successful culture can return a very high value to land and management resources.
Forest Crops, the Other Money From Your Forest(Cornell Cooperative Extension)
In recent years, the herbs known as ginseng and goldenseal have become very popular among the general public. Both of these woodland plants may be growing wild in your woodlot or you might be able to grow them yourself using the natural shade provided by the trees. In addition to ginseng and goldenseal other forest crops would include ornamental ferns such as maidenhair fern, black or blue cohosh, wild ginger, mayapple, gourmet mushrooms, and many others.
Rake in the Profits With Pine Straw (video) (American Tree Farm System)
Landowners can manage their forest to harvest and then sell the straw on a per-acre or per-bale basis for a nice profit. These bales are purchased by retailers, landscape contractors, or homeowners to use as landscape mulch.
Harvesting Pine Straw for Profit: Questions Landowners Should Ask Themselves (Auburn Extension)
Pine straw production is often compatible with other land uses, but landowners need to consider several factors before beginning pine straw harvesting on their land. This publication includes questions landowners should ask themselves to determine if pine straw production is right for them. It also provides a brief overview, in three sections, of issues related to the production and harvesting of pine straw.
Developing a Marketing Plan for Hardwood Bark Landscaping Mulch (N.C. State Extension)
A viable alternative for dealing with hardwood bark residue is to market the bark as hardwood bark mulch. This paper provides a succinct overview of the hardwood bark mulch industry and discusses considerations of developing a marketing plan for this product.
Forest Farming: Medicinal Plants (University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension)
Our native temperate forests are filled with useful plants. Ginseng is perhaps the best known in Kentucky because it is easily the most commercially valuable. However, if you read health supplement labels in the “big box” stores, or other similar locations, you will find goldenseal, blue cohosh, black cohosh, blood root, wild ginger, slippery elm, witch hazel, mayapple and many other forest plant-derived substances. There are established markets for these plants, although not as obvious as corn, soybeans, or cattle markets.
Ginseng, Goldenseal and Other Native Roots (National Sustainable Information Service)
Native U.S. ginseng (and related species), goldenseal, and other medicinal roots are exported or used domestically in products regulated by the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Most such crops are raised under contract by experienced growers. Some roots are organically raised. Since 2002 U.S. federal law has reserved the commercial term “ginseng” for Panax species.
Shitake Mushroom Enterprise (Maryland Cooperative Extension)
Shiitake mushrooms are specialty mushrooms with a distinctive flavor that are grown on oak logs. Specialty mushrooms have been enjoyed locally and in small quantities by Native American and ethnic populations and have been widely used for centuries by Asian cultures. Behind the common button and oyster mushrooms, the shiitake mushroom is the third most widely produced mushroom in the world, and American production of shiitake has increased faster than any other specialty mushroom.
Honey (Virginia Tech)
Honey is a well-recognized item in many areas of the world. It is used in many dishes and is easy to store. Bees feed almost entirely on nectar and pollen obtained from blooming flowers, and honey comes from the flower nectar. Important nectar and pollen plants include basswood, sourwood and tupelo trees.
Decorative Plants of Appalachia…a Source of Income (U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service)
This bulletin summarizes the present information on Appalachian forest plants commonly sold for decoration. It tells how to recognize the plants and how they are used in the decorative trade.
Alternative Markets for Generating Forest Income (Mississippi State University Extension)
This publication summarizes information presented in a Mississippi State University Extension Forestry short course devoted to alternative sources of forest incomes. The goal of this publication is to introduce forest landowners to economic opportunities to supplement their timber income.
Hunting Leases: Considerations and Alternatives for Landowners (Mississippi State University Extension)
The information in this publication helps you as a landowner make informed decisions about one potential alternative natural resource-based enterprise—hunting leases. Much of the information in this publication comes from a number of sources, including scientific papers presented at various conferences, and from personal experience working with private landowners and recreational users over the past 35 years.