1

What is this indicator and 

why is it important?

This indicator is important because knowing the total 

and per capita consumption of nonwood forest products 

(NWFPs) provides a common denominator to compare 

the value of these products with other forest products. 

Nonwood forest products are harvested from forests for 

personal use and economic gain and need to be included 

in the overall valuation of forests. The amount consumed 

illustrates the relative importance of these products to 

more “mainstream” forest products. Knowing the total 

consumption amount of NWFPs is critical to determining 

sustainable production levels for these goods and is 

important in understanding associated supply and demand 

relationships. 

Annual or regularly collected data on national-level 

domestic consumption and prices for NWFPs are not 

available, although the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service (national forests) and the U.S. Department 

of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management collect 

permitted harvest volumes. These harvest volumes 

serve as benchmarks to assess overall consumption 

levels, although they do not include harvest volumes 

from private lands. Some NWFPs are included in U.S. trade 

data and have long traditions in international trade. To 

estimate consumption for this indicator, production data 

(Indicator 6.26) were adjusted by known trade (Indicator 

6.31), and the results were assumed to be equivalent to 

consumption. 

What does the indicator 

show?

Federal forest land management agencies primarily 

generate receipts from two sources: convertible and 

nonconvertible products. Convertible products include 

timber and other products that can be converted to units 

of measure that are comparable to timber. The units of 

measure for nonconvertible products, such as edible fruits, 

sap, grasses, and other plant material, are not directly 

comparable to timber products. Both convertible and 

nonconvertible products are considered nontimber forest 

products (NTFPs). Nonwood forest products are a subset 

of NTFPs that include only nonconvertible categories. The 

Forest Service nonconvertible product categories include 

nursery and landscape; arts, crafts, and floral; regeneration 

and silviculture; edible fruits, nuts, berries, and sap; 

grass, hay, alfalfa, and forages; and herbs and medicinals. 

These categories are consistent with the definition of 

NWFPs used by the Food and Agriculture Organization of 

the United Nations. Other nonconvertible products not 

specifically classified, as well as all convertible categories 

(posts and poles; Christmas trees; and fuelwood) complete 

the range of NTFPs. 

The values of imports and exports were obtained using the 

U.S. International Trade Commission DataWeb (USITC 

DataWeb 2020). Major commodities are classified by 

Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes and aggregated 

values can be estimated through database queries. Table 

29-1 presents the total wholesale value of NWFPs, adjusted 

James Chamberlain

January 2024 | FS-1217-Indicator-6.29

Indicator 6.29

Total and per capita consumption of nonwood 

forest products, 2018
2

for trade for 2004 through 2018 (in constant 2019 U.S. 

dollars). Imports exceeded exports in every year and by 

over 100 percent in 2018. Net NWFP trade (i.e., the 

difference between imports and exports) was estimated 

to be $1.12 billion in 2018. This is an increase of over 700 

percent from 2013, due in part to a major increase in 

imports. 

In 2018, the total wholesale value of NWFPs, adjusted 

for trade, was estimated at approximately $1.3 billion. 

This represents total consumption of NWFPs, which 

includes the difference between imports and exports 

(i.e., $1.12 billion) plus the total estimated wholesale 

value of domestic production (i.e., $172.14 million). 

From 2004 through 2018, total consumption of NWFPs 

increased approximately 70 percent, due primarily to 

a sharp increase in imports that started around 2012. 

Exports and imports in 2012 were very close, diverging in 

subsequent years. The total wholesale value of NWFPs 

adjusted for trade for the 15-year period (2004–2018) was 

approximately $9.05 billion.

Per capita consumption is estimated as the ratio of 

adjusted wholesale value to population (table 29-2). For 

example, in 2004, total wholesale value of NWFPs adjusted 

for trade was estimated at $767.61 million while the U.S. 

population was 293 million, resulting in an estimated per 

capita consumption of $2.62. In 2018, the per capita 

consumption of NWFPs, adjusted for trade, was estimated 

at $3.97. Over the 15-year period (2004–2018), per capita 

consumption of NWFPs ranged from a low of $0.85 in 2012 

to a high of $3.97 in 2018, adjusted for trade. 

What has changed since 

2013? 

Since 2013, many factors regarding total and per capita 

consumption have changed. U.S. imports of NWFPs 

increased over 100 percent, while exports increased less 

than 5 percent. Total wholesale value of NWFPs decreased 

almost 50 percent from 2013 to 2018, while total wholesale 

value, adjusted for trade, increased almost threefold. 

Table 29-1—Trade, wholesale value, and total trade-adjusted wholesale value of U.S. nonwood forest products, 2004–2018.

Value description 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

millions of 2019 U.S. dollars

Adjusted importsa 934 751 890 877 884 839 767 913 964 937 1,065 1,236 1,548 1,631 1,947

Adjusted exports 450 418 509 610 661 616 676 833 950 800 882 862 904 964 824

Net trade 484 333 381 267 223 223 91 80 14 137 183 375 644 666 1,123

Wholesale value 

of NWFPs from 

Forest Service and 

BLM 

284 232 342 377 260 176 271 252 253 330 219 250 238 176 172

Total tradeadjusted NWFPs 

wholesale value 

768 565 723 644 483 399 362 331 266 467 402 624 881 842 1,296

BLM = U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management; NWFP = nonwood forest products.

a Excluding imported Christmas trees.

Table 29-2—U.S. population and per capita consumption of nonwood forest 

products adjusted for trade in wholesale 2019 U.S. dollars, 2004–2018.

Year

Population as 

of July 1, 2020 

(millions)

Per capita 

consumption 

(dollars)

2004 293.05 2.62

2005 295.75 1.91

2006 298.59 2.42

2007 301.58 2.14

2008 304.37 1.59

2009 307.01 1.30

2010 309.33 1.17

2011 311.58 1.06

2012 313.87 0.85

2013 316.13 1.48

2014 318.30 1.26

2015 320.64 1.95

2016 322.94 2.73

2017 324.99 2.59

2018 326.69 3.97
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Per capita consumption changed over the past reporting 

period as well. Estimated U.S. population increased 

approximately 3 percent between 2013 and 2018. The total 

per capita annual consumption of NWFPs during this period 

increased more than 100 percent. 

Why can’t the entire 

indicator be reported at this 

time? 

A significant assumption in estimating trade values for 

NWFPs is that the commodities recorded represent all 

products. This assumption is imperfect as many NWFPs 

are not classified under a specific HTS code but are 

combined with other commodities. Because of this, the 

total consumption values may be underestimated. Further, 

harvest volumes used in estimation may not reflect actual 

harvests, as only permitted harvests from Forest Service 

and Bureau of Land Management are recorded. 

References

U.S. International Trade Commission Interactive Trade 

DataWeb (USITC DataWeb). 2020. Using data retrieved 

from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. https://dataweb.usitc.

gov. [Date accessed: April 23, 2020].
4

U.S. Forest Sustainability Indicators:

 https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/inventory/sustainability

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Chamberlain, James. 2024. Indicator 6.29: total and per capita consumption 

of nonwood forest products, 2018. FS-1217-Indicator-6.29. Washington, 

DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington Office. 4 p. 

https://doi.org/10.2737/FS-1217-Indicator-6.29.