VOLUME 16 ISSUE TWO

6-7 TERMS FOR LONGTERM SUCCESS

AGROFORESTRY practices like windbreaks and riparian forest

buffers provide valuable services to us in the form of wind

protection, soil stabilization, and water quality. But, they can

also deliver many marketable non-timber products like berries

and mushrooms, decorative florals, and herbal products. 

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. ]

11

A NEW STANDARD

FOR AGROFORESTRY

4-5 THE “I’S” HAVE IT

A sample of valuable products that

can be found in

forest ecosystems

include: pine straw,

shiitake mushrooms,

maple syrup, and

jack-in-the-pulpit

(pictured above).
More research is needed

NAC Director’s Corner

A commentary on the status of agroforestry 

by Dr. Greg Ruark, NAC Program Manager

2 Inside Agroforestry |Volume 16, Issue Two

THE demand for specialty forest products has been

growing rapidly over the past decade. Numerous plant

species that are thought to have nutritional, medicinal, or

culinary benefits are native to the understory of pine and

hardwood forests throughout United States, but little is

understood about how to intentionally propagate and cultivate most of them. As a result, these plants are typically harvested by gathering them from the wild. Several of these,

like ginseng, goldenseal, cohosh, and edible mushrooms

already have strong consumer markets. Unfortunately, their

high economic value has created a situation whereby many

species are already being over-harvested, threatening their

long-term viability. To date, agroforestry systems have been

designed that allow a few of these plant species, like ginseng, to be cultivated under a forest canopy. However, little

is known about how or if other understory plant species

could be intentionally cultivated.

Many farmers and private forest landowners with limited resources are seeking alternative production systems

that will allow them to increase the income they derive

from their lands. In many instances profitability will determine whether they will remain economically viable to

remain on the land. In forests where valuable understory

botanicals already exist, guidelines for sustainably harvesting them are needed, while on lands where they do not

occur an improved understanding of the site conditions

required to establish them is needed. NAC is coordinating

with universities, state forestry agencies, conservation districts, and non-profit organizations to develop sciencebased guidelines for agroforestry cultivation systems for

special forest products to provide landowners with economic opportunities that can be readily integrated into their

ongoing operations. ]

Digging deeper

THE awareness of non-timber forest products ( NTFP) has grown over the last decade.

Concern about the sustainability of the

resources from which NTFPS originate and

consideration for the economic stability of

the people who are involved in the harvesting

and sale of these plants has also increased.

Unfortunately, the information and knowledge needed to determine if collection activities are socially, economically, or ecologically sustainable is still lacking. 

To help bridge this gap, three comprehensive guides are available for some of the

most sought after botanical plants: bloodroot, galax, and goldenseal. Each publication addresses botany and ecology, medicinal and other uses, market trends, cultivation, and conservation issues.

Bloodroot – named for the blood-red sap

found throughout the plant, particularly in

the roots. Native Americans used bloodroot

as a dye, love charm, and medicine. Today,

it is used to cause expectoration and to

clear the respiratory pathways of mucus.

Galax – an evergreen groundcover harvested for use in the floral industry. People

living in the mountains of North Carolina

and other rural Appalachian locations have

harvested galax to supplement their

incomes since before the 20th century.

Goldenseal – originally used by Native

Americans as both a medicine and a dye,

the herb was eventually adopted by settlers

and eclectic physicians in the 19th century.

The alkaloids in goldenseal have been

found to have antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and tonic effects. ]

For a copy of

these, and other,

publications visit

the Non-Timber

Forest Products

website at:

http://www.sfp.

forprod.vt.edu/

special_fp.htm
Volume 16, Issue Two | Inside Agroforestry 3

WE know forests deliver food, medicine, and countless other

goods. Common sense tells us about forest cents, but just how

much cents does the forest have? 

Though no formal estimates have been made of the total

value of the NTFP markets, available data illustrate the economic importance of some individual products. Certainly, the

aggregate value of non-timber forest products far exceeds

these examples.

Medicinal and herbal products

Herbs and medicinal products are an extremely important 

component of modern medicine and health supplement 

industries. Plants from the forest provide treatments for such

diseases as cancer, leukemia, heart disease, and pain relief for

major trauma. Over 40 percent of prescription drugs,

accounting for $15 billion in sales in 1997, contain at least one

natural element. 

In 1998, the total retail market for medicinal herbs in the

United States was estimated at $3.97 billion, more than double

the estimate for North America in 1996. Based on 2001 prices,

the average wholesale value of forest-harvested ginseng in a

four state region of Appalachia exceeded $18.5 million.

Exports of forest-harvested ginseng from 1993 through 1996

grew more than 300 percent. The estimated growth in the

mass market for black cohosh, for the year ending in July

1998, was approximately 500 percent.

Edible products

Many culinary NTFP are considered specialty items and are

sold directly to buyers like gourmet restaurants, specialized

grocery stores, and health food stores or to consumers

through farmer’s market-type venues. The products are consumed fresh, canned, frozen and dried or used to make valueadded products. 

Here, needles of 

a naturally regenerated long-leaf

pine forest are

raked for resale.

Straw can be

raked, baled, and

sold to garden 

centers. Landscapers and homeowners use pine

straw as a mulch or

ground cover in

gardens and landscaping projects. 

NAC file photo

The demand for

specialty foods such

as jellies, sauces,

and marinades 

continues to grow. 

Photo courtesy of James 

Chamberlain, USFS

Research Scientist,

Blacksburg, VA

see Economics on page 10

Raking in the green stuff

Some forest-based

medicinal products,

like goldenseal,

have long-established markets and

represent an ongoing economic

opportunity. 

Photo courtesy of Jeanine 

Davis, North Carolina State 

University

James Chamberlain

USFS Research Scientist, Non-Timber Forest Products,

Blacksburg, VA
4 Inside Agroforestry |Volume 16, Issue Two

Many choices 

exist for growing

non-timber forest 

products. After

deciding which

product to 

specialize in, 

there is a broad

spectrum of 

management

options to 

choose from.

With 

an 

“i”

toward

management

intensity

Over the past 15 years, the Belton family near Sandy, Oregon has

used a variety of approaches to generate supplemental income to

help sustain their forest operation. Most of their forest land is

managed for multiple species and ages. To generate enough

income selling non-timber forest products, they sell higher

quality products for top dollar. These value-added commodities

require considerable hand labor to harvest and process. 

Some of the products that the Beltons harvest include cut,

potted, or balled plants for the floral and nursery industries. They

have sold various ferns and other floral greenery like salal,

sphagnum moss, and vine maple. Popular potted plants have

been red-flowering currant, flowering dogwood, tiger lilies, and

bleeding heart. Red alder and wild cherry are sold as hardwood

chips for smoking meats. Western redcedar bark, a favorite of

Native Americans, is used to make baskets in the Northwest and

12” x 5” x 3⁄4” cedar planks are sold for cooking salmon. Various

mushrooms can generate significant additional income as well.

Although wood products are the most common source of

income for many forest owners, finding a niche and value-added

market for a wider variety of the non-timber commodities from

the forest will help generate additional revenue necessary to stay

in business.

Wild harvesting / wildcrafting

Wild harvesting is collecting food, decorative, or medicinal

products that grow naturally in the woods. Cutting cedar boughs

for a wreath or picking berries on the side of a road is wild harvesting. Harvesting forest products on public lands is a way of

life for a significant number of people around the country.

Sustainable harvesting can have a positive effect on the forest by

removing products efficiently while protecting site productivity,

minimizing impacts on wildlife, water, and soil and encouraging

regeneration of desirable species. 

Photo by James Chamberlain, USFS Research Scientist, Blacksburg, VA
Volume 16, Issue Two | Inside Agroforestry 5

Chip Harris began digging ginseng and goldenseal with his father

in the 1970s. Today, he is experimenting with ginseng, goldenseal,

and black cohosh cultivation on his farm in southern Ohio. 

As his concern about the sustainability of wild populations

increased and it became more difficult to find good roots, Chip

movwed from wild crafted ginseng to wild simulated ginseng.

He says, “Eventually, if you wildcraft enough, you get the

notion to cultivate.” 

So Chip transplanted some wild ginseng to their farm. Today,

he harvests only the mature roots, leaving the younger ones to

grow for later harvest. He hopes this will minimize the labor he

and his father must put into cultivation and lead to self-sustaining patches. Harvesting medicinal roots requires a combination of hard physical labor, skill, and luck. 

While income is his primary motivation, spending time in the

woods is rewarding. His wife has talked about spending more

time making crafts and they discussed the possibilities of

starting a pick-your-own raspberry patch and cultivating bittersweet for the decorative market. But, for now with help from

his father, Chip is concentrating his energies on goldenseal and

cohosh. He hopes that medicinal plants will generate “a significant side income” that will carry them into retirement.

His father taught him about managing the forest and how to

make a living off the land. In the 1930’s and 1940’s, his family

sold evergreens and moss to florists for Christmas decorations.

Today, the William Slagle “Walnut Meadows” farm near

Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, among other things, raises black

walnut, ginseng, and shiitake mushrooms.

Slagle says, “ginseng requires intense management, you must

work the ground by hand.” He has six acres of cultivated ginseng growing in raised beds in a variety of sites under the trees.

He digs anywhere from 200 to 1,200 pounds of roots per year

which he sells to outlets in Hong Kong and New York.

Slagle is a retired vocational education teacher. As his profession would indicate, he enjoys educating others. Each year, his

students benefited from applying classroom skills to a real

working farm; they came out to Walnut Meadows to help with

the ginseng, or the shiitake mushrooms, or the walnut trees. 

“I hate to see land lay idle and I need an income while my

10 acres of black walnut trees mature,” Slagle says. “This 100

acre farm has been good to our family and we have been good

to the land.” ]

Wild simulated / forest tending / 

forest enrichment

Wild simulated plants are intentionally planted and cared for in

conditions that mimic their wild habitat as much as possible.

Essentially, the plants are allowed to grow naturally; most

growers do not spray fungicides or add any additional fertilizer.

It is simple, inexpensive, and requires few inputs. Modifying

woodland vegetation to better meet landowner objectives is a

shift in management activities to adapt and improve growth

rate, volume, quality, and values of trees and non-timber forest

products in forest. Common forest tending activities include:

thinning, pruning, weeding, seeding, and fertilizing.

Woods cultivated / forest gardening

Intensively managed, a cultivated forest garden is a purposely

designed system of trees, shrubs, and perennial plants. These

plants are mixed to mimic woodland ecosystems and include

trees, shrubs, herbs, and vegetables. The yields are directly

useful to humans. In a woods cultivated system, the objective

is to produce the highest yield feasible; all modern production

practices and pest control products are used including tilling,

soil amendments, raised beds to control soil drainage, mulch,

and pesticides.

NAC file photo NAC file photo
Unconventional 

options

Whatever the chosen term, these products are all based on plants or fungi or

other flora materials. Wildlife, other

fauna, or water and other ecosystem services are not included in the definition as

they have designated management categories in national legislation and are well

recognized in forestry. 

Non-timber forest products come

from plants; parts of plants, fungi, and

other biological material. They are harvested from within and on the edges of

natural, manipulated or disturbed forests.

NTFPs include fungi, moss, lichen,

herbs, vines, shrubs, or trees. Roots,

tubers, leaves, bark, twigs and branches,

fruit, sap and resin, as well as wood, are

harvested to make non-timber products. 

NTFPs are commonly classified into

five product categories.

A VARIETY of terms (e.g., non-traditional, secondary, minor, non-wood, and

special or specialty) have been used to

describe products that come from forests

that are not timber-based. National legislation uses the term, “forest botanical

products,” to describe these products.

The USDA Forest Service defines them

as, “special forest products.” A more

common and widespread term is, “nontimber forest products” (NTFP).

There is growing interest in using native

plants for landscaping. Native plant nurseries are popping up all over the place

and more than 500 are listed in the

Directory of Plant Material Providers,

published by the USDA Forest Service. 

Pine straw, raked

from southern plantations, is used as

landscaping mulch.

Photo by Terry Bryant, 

Carthage, NC

6 Inside Agroforestry |Volume 16, Issue Two

James ChamberlainC usfs research

Scientist; Non-Timber Forest

ProductsJ Blacksburg, VA.

Non-timber

forest 

products

Bfor X

innovative

landowners

Landscape

products

Plants collected to produce crafts are numerous. Wood-based

crafts are produced from trees or parts of trees, excluding products made from cut timber. Some important wood-based

NTFPs in the central hardwood region include sassafras stems

for walking sticks, willow branches for furniture, and white oak

splits for baskets. Products made from vines, such as smokevine

and grapevine, are included in this category. The number of

species that could be used in production of crafts is only limited

to the crafter’s imagination and market acceptance.

Scarlet curls willow

can be used to

make gift baskets.

Photo courtesy of Nebraska 

Forest Service

Craft products

Z
E

Volume 16, Issue Two | Inside Agroforestry 7

Markets have been steadily increasing for floral and greenery products like white pine and

galax (pictured), Spanish moss, and flowers. Photo by James Chamberlain, USFS Research Scientist, Blacksburg, VA

Medicinal properties of plants can be

found in the leaves,

roots, and bark of

trees or shrubs, or

in the leaves,

berries, or fruits of

herbaceous plants. 

Photo courtesy of 

Deborah Hill, Extension

Professor, University of

Kentucky

In the southern

Appalachian hardwood region of the

United States, food

festivals are organized around the

emergence of wild

onions, known

regionally as ramps. 

Photo courtesy of James 

Chamberlain, USFS

Research Scientist,

Blacksburg, VA

floralEand

Culinary industry

Many forest plants are harvested and used

in the floral industry. For example, curly

willow and dogwood shrubs that have

been incorporated into windbreaks or

riparian buffers can be harvested for floral

arrangements. In the Pacific Northwest,

salal leaves, beargrass, and noble fir

boughs are common in the floral industry.

Sprigs and long-lengths of grapevine and

smokevine also may be used as compliments or back drops in floral arrangements. Several species of moss and lichen

are harvested from the forests for the

European floral industry. ]

decorative

products

Plants harvested from the forest for their

therapeutic value are marketed either as

medicines or as herbal remedies. Many

prescriptions dispensed in the United

States contain active ingredients extracted

from higher order plants. More than 125

plant species are harvested from southern

forests for their medicinal value, with

more than 80 percent of the forest-harvested ginseng coming from Virginia,

Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

The central hardwood region of the U.S. is

the principal source of many medicinal

plants, including black cohosh, American

ginseng, goldenseal, and bloodroot.

B

Edible NTFPs include: mushrooms,

fungi, fruits, ferns, greens, roots, and

tubers. Mushrooms and fungi are probably the most well known forest edible.

The production of maple syrup is big

business, particularly in the Northeast.

Huckleberries and blueberries are collected and eaten for personal enjoyment

or sold for cash income. Fiddleheads

(young, tightly coiled fronds of the ostrich

fern), dandelion greens, and poke salat are

eaten in the spring, as well. Eastern black

walnuts, muscadine grapes, raspberries,

blackberries, and persimmons are gathered, consumed, and sold.

Medicinal and L dietary

supplements
8 Inside Agroforestry |Volume 16, Issue Two

PEOPLE have been “managing” land and

its resources since the beginning of time.

Everyone’s livelihood depended on

observing, utilizing, and respecting the

natural resources that surrounded them.

As our ancestors migrated, so did the

plant species that they used and valued.

As a result, seeds and stock of traditional

culinary and medicinal herbs with cherished characteristics were transported to

new locations. Along with the plants

came knowledge about them. 

While indigenous people seldom used

the term “managing,” anthropologists

have long documented the significance of

local knowledge to resource stewardship.

Today, people who live and interact as

part of an ecosystem often have traditions

that have persisted over long periods of

time. Not only did immigrants bring

long-established forest product knowledge and practices with them, but they

adapted these customs to their new

environment and

borrowed from

people they

encountered. By

sharing stories,

spiritual beliefs,

harvesting techniques, sustainability methods,

and recipes, elders

have transferred,

and continue to

pass along, an

extensive variety

of skills and information to younger generations. These indigenous knowledge

systems are often referred to as

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and

Wisdom (TEKW). 

What is especially significant about

TEKW are the attitudes, motivations,

intimate connections, and cultural influences that underlie the daily interactions

between the human and nonhuman elements. Understanding an ecosystem,

and how to successfully manage it, is

more than just recognizing biological

processes; it is about understanding and

respecting the interconnection of all elements, including people and their beliefs

and behaviors. 

From early history to the present,

non-timber forest products (NTFPs)

have contributed to a family’s sustenance in a variety of ways. Along with

farming, diaries of Midwestern settlers

describe consuming their own maple

sugar to avoid the expense of purchasing sweetener and then selling some

of the sugar for much needed cash.

Other economic uses that are integrated

with livelihood strategies include familycentered subsistence, gift giving, barter,

petty commodity production, and sale as

global commodities. 

Lots of NTFPs and customs exist

across the United States. Regional uses

and cultural traditions reflect these differences. Various plants and traditions

are found in contrasting forest ecosystems from the rain forests of the Pacific

Northwest, the mixed conifer-hardwood

forests of the Southeast, the central

hardwoods of the Midwest and

Appalachia, the conifers of the Lake

states, and in the New England forests. 

Nonagricultural plants continue to be

vital to us for food and medicine and as

utilitarian and ceremonial materials. The

historical relationship between people and

plants and the social structures and interactions within which these uses forms our

current understanding of NTFPs.

Based on research and publications by Marla

Emory, Research Geographer, USFS Northern

Research Station, Burlington, VT. ]

Edited by Kimberly Stuhr

Technology Transfer Specialist / Inside

Agroforestry Editor, USDA National

Agroforestry Center, Lincoln, NE

Understanding an ecosystem, and how

to successfully manage it, is more

than just recognizing biological

processes; it is about understanding

and respecting the interconnection of

all elements, including people and

their beliefs and behaviors. 

mmmmmmmm

Migration

r ofqOq

plantsR,

q

7peoplee,

andnr

tradition0

mox*

it
year for an average mulberry

tree to over $100 per year 

for mature Chinese 

chestnut, apricot, and peach trees.

• The potential value of NTFPs on 

three one-acre sample plots in the city 

are on par with the per acre values 

suggested for other urban forests 

benefits such as energy savings and 

pollution prevention.

• Urban NTFPs and their collection also 

provide important educational, nutritional, cultural, and recreational benefits.

• Key issues surrounding urban NTFPs 

collection include: the lack of collector

empowerment, conflicts among 

collectors and property owners, health

issues and safety, and sustainable 

harvest and ecological impact issues. 

Adapted from Community Resources.

Exploring Urban Non-Timber Forest

Products: The Hidden Nutritional,

Economic, Cultural, and Educational

Resources Of The Urban Environment. ]

Volume 16, Issue Two | Inside Agroforestry 9

Don’t overlook urban forest products

COMMUNITY trees, private and public

landscaping, and gardens in the urban

environment can often provide nuts,

fruits, mushrooms, and decorative greens

and cones that can be collected. Though

not exactly forest farming, in Baltimore,

MD people collect, use, and

even sell Chinese chestnuts,

walnuts, maple sap, ginkgo

fruits, figs, and honey. 

Community Resources, a non-profit

organization based in Baltimore, explored

the uses, issues, and values of urban nontimber forest products (NTFPs). In addition to field and market observations, the

researchers conducted over 100 interviews to discover the uses, benefits, and

values, both monetary and personal, as

viewed by both environmental professional and local collectors. 

Key findings of this research include:

• Over 103 products from 78 species 

are collected by individuals and 

organizations in Baltimore City.

• These 103 include edible products (43 

percent), medicinal products (8 

percent), horticultural or nursery 

products (31 percent), and craft and 

decorative products (18 percent).

• Products are collected by a wide 

diversity of ethnic and socio-economic

groups including African-American, 

Asian-Americans, Native Americans, 

Eastern European-Americans, and 

Anglo-Americans.

• Products are collected 

from street trees, park 

trees, yards, vacant lots, 

roadsides, and forested areas.

• The direct net economic value of 60 

products ranges from about $0.30 per

pound for Pokeweed to over $10 per 

pound for some seeds and mushrooms.

Net per tree values range from $4 per 

Examples of urban NTFP’s collected in Baltimore, MD

Edible

peaches, figs, 

mulberries, 

wineberries, 

chestnuts, gingko

nuts, maple syrup,

honey, morels,

chanterelles

Craft

pine boughs, pine

cones, boxwood,

grapevine, forsythia

sprigs, willow bark

Medicinal

sassafras bark,

jewel weed, bee

pollen, maitake

mushroom

Horticultural

ash seeds, walnuts,

acorns, seeds of

various cultivars,

bamboo, ferns,

dogwood seedlings,

oak seedlings,

native azaleas

Some of these products could 

be in your neck of the woods.

In addition to non-timber forest products, urban woods provide air quality and cooling

effects, stabilize soil, and provide wildlife habitat and scenic beauty. Photo by Richard Straight,

USDA National Agroforestry Center

w

d

3

A Baltimore non-profit

explored the value of of

urban NTFPs.

q
In 1999, the estimated wholesale value of wild edible mushrooms in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho was $41.1 million.

The value of mushroom exports from the Pacific Northwest

varies annually from $50 million to $75 million, depending on

harvest levels. In 1996, collectors of eastern black walnuts were

paid more than $2.5 million. Volunteer fire departments in

western North Carolina generate from 30 to 90 percent of their

budgets from annual ramp (wild onions or leeks) festivals. 

Decorative products

The floral industry relies heavily on products gathered from

the forests. Many forest plants and parts of plants are used in

decorative arrangements to complement and furnish the backdrop for flowers as well as for the main component of dried

ornaments. The end uses of these forest plants include

wreaths, baskets, greenery, roping, and dried flowers.

For example, in 1995, the U.S. exported moss and lichen,

much of which came from southern forests, valued at more

than $14 million. The sales of a pine roping company in southwest Virginia exceeded $1.5 million in 1997. Within Oregon

and Washington, the industry generates more than $180 million

each year in direct payments to harvesters and landowners.

Bough collection, for holiday wreaths, is a major economic

activity in the northern states of Wisconsin and Michigan. 

It takes time to understand the ins and outs of local,

national, and international markets for non-timber products.

But as you can see there is profit potential if one is willing to

invest the time and effort. ]

10 Inside Agroforestry |Volume 16, Issue Two

NTFP websites

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Economics

continued from page 3

There is a good

demand for

NTFP’s used in 

the floral industry.

Products such as

sword fern 

(pictured), mosses,

birch bark, cones,

boughs, willow

branches, and

others are used 

for a variety of 

purposes. 

NAC file photo

www.fs.fed.us/ne/burlington/research/ne4454/nontimb/

This site contains information on gathering skills,

norms, livelihoods, products, uses, and more.

www.sfp.forprod.vt.edu

Serves as a national clearinghouse for NTFP harvesters

and growers, marketers, processors, and end-users.

www.forestryencyclopedia.net/Encyclopedia/

Appalachian/resource_management/non-timber_

forest_products

Presents definitions, historical perspective, market

overview, management, and sustainability of resources

about NTFPs harvested from oak ecosystems.

www.specialforestproducts.com

Established to help users look beyond timber and pulpwood with NTFPs found in Midwestern woodlands.

www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/agroforestry/sare/

This Cornell University site focuses on ginseng, 

goldenseal, and mushroom production.

www.agroforestry.net/overstory/overstory.html

The Overstory is a free email agroforestry journal for

practitioners, researchers, professionals, and enthusiasts.

www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/projects/sfp/

Everything you need to know before harvesting on the

Tongass National Forest is located here.

www.herbalgram.org

Contains research reviews, grants, conference reports,

book reviews, and legal and regulatory information.

http://plants.usda.gov/java/factSheet?cultural=yes

Offers plant guides about culturally significant plants.

www.royalroads.ca/programs/faculties-schools-centres/non-timber-resources

Supports the sustainable utilization of NTFPs in the

temperate and boreal regions of the world. ]
Volume 16, Issue Two | Inside Agroforestry 11

The Natural Resources Conservation

Service (NRCS ) completed the suite of

five agroforestry practice standards when

it added “multi-story cropping” to the

National Handbook of Conservation

Practices in 2006. Multi-story cropping is

defined as, “an existing or planted stand of

trees or shrubs that are managed as an

overstory with an understory of woody

and/or non-woody plants that are grown

for a variety of products.” 

This practice standard is intended to

encompass what the National

Agroforestry Center and other agroforestry specialists call, “forest farming.”

Forest farming has been defined as, “the

intentional manipulation, integration, and

intensive management of forested lands

that capitalize on specific plant interactions to produce non-timber products.”

This is not just wild harvesting of some

understory plants such as mushrooms, but

is a very intentional management system. 

Many high-value non-timber forest

crops (NTFPs) (e.g., ginseng, goldenseal,

black and blue

cohosh, ramps, and

decorative ferns)

are cultivated under

the protection of a

forest canopy that

has been modified to provide appropriate

microclimate and light conditions.

Meanwhile, the timber stand improvement

activities are carried out to develop the

appropriate understory conditions. For

example, thinning less desirable trees and

pruning lower branches on the eventual

Bruce Wight

NRCS Lead Agroforester, USDA

National Agroforestry Center, 

Lincoln, NE

Forest farming by any other name

Multi-story cropping is a

new NRCS practice 

standard

As many as seven layers may be found in a multi-story operation: the canopy, low-tree

layer, shrub layer, herbaceous layer, ground-cover layer, rhizosphere, and a vertical layer

(climbers). Photos by Tony Ingersoll, USDA NRCS

crop trees can result in the production of

clean, knot-free wood that will eventually

bring a higher economic return. 

NRCS field staff from the Pacific

Islands advocated the development of a

conservation practice standard that would

describe some of the traditional management of their forests where plant crops

are grown in multiple layers within the

forest from the forest canopy through the

mid-level layers on down to the forest

floor. After much discussion, the term

“multi-story cropping,” was selected as

the best term to describe this management approach. The multi-story cropping

conservation practice standard has three

general purposes: 

• improve crop diversity by growing 

mixed but compatible crops having 

different heights on the same area; 

• improve soil quality by increasing 

utilization and cycling of nutrients 

and maintaining or increasing soil 

organic matter; 

• increase net carbon storage in plant 

biomass and soil. With the national 

practice standard developed, NRCS

state staffs now have the option of 

developing a state standard that will 

be specific to conditions in the state. 

The multi-story cropping conservation

practice will help facilitate sustainable

management systems that incorporate

NTFPs into a landowner’s operation. A

number of innovative landowners are

already applying multi-story cropping.

Tom Wahl, in southeastern Iowa, is

developing “four story agriculture” with

grants from the Practical Farmers of Iowa

and the Sustainable Agriculture Research

and Education program. The four levels

include: medicinal roots from underground, medicinal plants at ground level,

wood from the tree trunks up to about

twelve feet, and at the fourth level the

fruit, nuts, and leaves that are produced in

the canopy. ]

With a national standard developed,

NRCS state staffs now have the option

of developing a state standard.
USDA National Agroforestry Center

East Campus–UNL

Lincoln, NE 68583–0822

PRSRT STD

POSTAGE & FEES PAID

USDA — FS

PERMIT NO G-40

October 23–27, 2007

Society Of American Foresters (SAF )

National Convention: “Sustaining 

America’s Forests.” Portland, OR. 

Contact: SAF, 866–897–8720, 

http://www.safconvention.org/natcon-07.

November 12–13, 2007

Wildlife Habitat Council Nineteenth 

Annual Symposium: “The Value Of 

Green.” Baltimore, MD. 

http://www.wildlifehc.org/events/

symposium.cfm.

February 4, 2008

Call For Papers. American Water 

Resources Association (AWRA) 

Summer Specialty Conference: 

“Riparian Ecosystems & Buffers: 

Working at the Water’s Edge,” June 

30 – July 2, 2008, Virginia Beach, VA.

Contact: atodd@fs.fed.us, 

Official Business

Penalty for Private Use, $300

Address Service Requested

InsideAgroforestry VOLUME 16 ISSUE TWO

Upcoming Events

“Inside Agroforestry” is published three times per year by the

USDA National Agroforestry Center. Phone: 402–437–5178;

Fax: 402–437–5712.

• Greg Ruark, NAC Program Manager (256–372–4540)

• Michele Schoeneberger, FS Research Lead (ext. 21)

• Rich Straight, FS Lead Agroforester (ext. 24)

• Bruce Wight, NRCS Lead Agroforester (ext. 36)

• Kimberly Stuhr, Technology Transfer Specialist/

“Inside Agroforestry” Editor (ext. 13)

• Ryan Dee, Technology Transfer Assistant/

“Inside Agroforestry” Designer (ext. 14)

www.unl.edu/nac

Mission

The USDA National Agroforestry Center (NAC) is a partnership of

the Forest Service (Research and Development and State and

Private Forestry) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

It is administered by the Forest Service, Southern Research Station;

and its program manager and headquarters are located in Huntsville,

AL, on the campus of Alabama A&M University, while NAC’s staff

are located at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln NE; University of

Idaho, Moscow ID, and in Blacksburg, VA. NAC’s purpose is to

accelerate the development and application of agroforestry technologies to attain more economically, environmentally, and socially

sustainable land use systems. To accomplish its mission, NAC interacts with a national network of partners and cooperators to conduct

research, develop technologies and tools, establish demonstrations,

and provide useful information to natural resource professionals.

Policy

USDA policy prohibits discrimination

because of race, color, national origin,

sex, age, religion, or handicapping 

condition. Any person who believes he

or she has been discriminated against in

any USDA-related activity should 

immediately contact the Secretary of

Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

Opinions expressed in “Inside

Agroforestry” are those of the author

and do not necessarily represent the

policy of the USDA Forest Service and

the USDA Natural Resources

Conservation Service.

http://www.awra.org/meetings/Virginia_

Beach2008/index.html

For more upcoming events, visit our 

website calendar: www.unl.edu/nac/

calendar.htm.