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Your forest is bursting with value beyond the trees! Non-timber forest products, commonly referred to as NTFPs, can be a creative byproduct of stewardship activities.

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Director's Message


This is one of the most prolific mushroom seasons I’ve witnessed in many years. 
 
This season’s combination of warm weather and just enough rain is awakening a diverse fruiting within the Northwest fungal community. Many of these fall fungi are edible and/or medicinal, which to me is simply a blessing from the forest. Chanterelle, bolete, oyster, lactarius, reishi―the list goes on. These gifts from the woods are but a small sample of the massive range of useful non-timber forest products that Pacific Northwest forests provide. 
 
A great part of the pleasure I derive from working with woodland owners is learning what they glean from their forests in between, or in lieu of, timber harvests. Walking sticks made from vine maple; tea from spring conifer tips; preserves from a plethora of berries; medicines from roots, bark and leaves; wreaths and floral arrangements from the boughs of understory shrubs; essential oils from evergreens. Again, the list goes on!
 
As we enter the holiday season, what could be more meaningful (and sustainable!), than providing your friends and family members with gifts that originated from local, well-managed forests? The less we import, the more we make ourselves, the more we support local communities, the more resilient our world will be!

 

Kirk Hanson

Forestry Director
Northwest Natural Resource Group
(360) 316-9317
kirk@nnrg.org
 

Upcoming Events


Energy Opportunities for Woody Biomass
November 3, 2018
Friday Harbor, WA
An NNRG event!

Green Seattle Day!
November 3, 2018
Seattle, WA

Ties to the Land - Succession Planning for Family Forest Owners
November 3, 2018
Enumclaw, WA

Kitsap Salmon Tours
November 3, 2018
Bremerton, WA

Workshop on Plot Hound Timber App
November 9, 2018
Oregon City, OR
Contact sloreno@ecotrust.org for more info

Ties to the Land – Succession Planning for Family Forest Owners
December 14, 2018
Spokane, WA

Audubon Christmas Bird Count
December 14, 2018
Multiple locations

Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Shortcourse
Online
Starting January 24, 2019

Featured Member

 


Oak Basin Tree Farm

In the spirit of the spookiest week of the year, we're highlighting brooms fit for flying and essential oils distilled from most mysterious trees. 

Brothers Jim and Ed Merzenich, along with Jim's wife, Karen Wilson, steward Oak Basin Tree Farm, a 1,000-acre forest in the Willamette Valley which is Forest Stewardship Council® certified through NNRG’s group certificate.

Oak Basin is managed for multiple conservation objectives, but the forest's non-timber products are perhaps its most unusual output. Jim and Ed harvest tree boughs from pruning projects and collect the needles to distill into essential oils. While treating overstocked woodlands they remove saplings and small trees which a local artist crafts into specialty broom handles.

Read the full article on our blog to learn how essential oils are made.

We Need You to Weigh In!

Help us maintain the highest forest stewardship standards! Our FSC® certifier, Soil Association, would like to hear from stakeholders (that's you!) about our performance and practices. Submit your comments and use our certificate number SA-FM/COC-001394 to take part in our annual review. 

Community Meeting this Saturday - Nov. 3

Energy independence and forest health can go hand-in-hand! Thinning overstocked stands can reduce fire risks in the San Juans while also providing on-site renewable resources to power and heat local homes, community gathering spaces, and businesses. Learn more and register. 

Meet the First Fully FSC®-Certified Home in the US


The first fully FSC®-certified single-family home in the United States has floors and stairs made of Oregon White Oak from Zena Forest Products — a forest certified under NNRG's FSC® Certificate! Let's hope this house is a model for many more like it! Check it out. 

6 Forest Recipes for the Adventurous


Sure, your Thanksgiving dinner guests may be expecting turkey, pie, and cranberry sauce. But wouldn't it be more exciting to serve Japanese Knotweed hummus, Dandelion banana bread, and Stinging Nettle pesto? Here are six recipes that celebrate the bounty of PNW forests. 

Benefits of Sustainably Harvesting Non-timber Forest Products


A recent USDA Forest Service report improves the state of the knowledge regarding NTFPs science and management information for U.S. forests provides up-to-date information on the economic and cultural significance of non-timber forest products. Read about the report.
 

Apply for 2019 EQIP Funding


Now is a great time to apply for cost-share assistance to help with 2019 projects. EQIP can help forest owners access technical expertise to develop and complete conservation practices that improve the health and productivity of their land. Applications for EQIP funding are accepted on a rolling, year-round basis. Learn more about this program and how it can help you. 

Workshop on Plot Hound Timber App


Wish you knew how to complete your own forest inventory? Using your phone? Join Ecotrust for a workshop focused on teaching landowners how to use a free mobile app – Plot Hound – to collect forest inventory data. This free workshop is Nov. 9 at the Hopkins Demonstration Forest in Oregon City. To sign up, contact Sara Loreno at 
sloreno@ecotrust.org, 503-467-0784. 

Tending a Forest & 
Managing Tree Growth


Thinning: this single practice applied with purpose, can shape a young forest into a uniform timber stand or structurally complex habitat for wildlife. OSU Extension released a new publication this summer to help landowners better understand, visualize and apply thinning decisions to their properties. Find out how to know when to thin.

Resources About Non-Timber Forest Products

Our Northwest forests are home to an abundance of fruits, floral greens, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, and other natural materials. Many people gather these gifts of the forest for personal use and enjoyment.

Non-timber forest products, commonly referred to as NTFPs, include any forest products or services aside from commercially harvested timber that have potential personal or commercial value.  They can be a creative byproduct of stewardship activities – such as limbing up trees or clearing a trail, intentionally cultivated, or grow abundantly all on their own. NTFPs can provide supplemental income or augment household resources. 

Below are some resources to help forest owners cultivate NTFPs in their own woodlands. 

Find more information about specific types of Non-Timber Forest Products on our NTFPs page. 
Salmon Spotting on the Cedar River
 
We're nearing the end of salmon spawning season. Can anyone identify this salmon, its journey completed, spotted up the Cedar River two weeks ago? Email outreach@nnrg.org with your guess. 
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Our mailing address is:
Northwest Natural Resource Group
2701 1st Avenue, Suite 240
Seattle, WA 98121

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