Expanding Non-Timber Forest Product Harvester/Buyer Participation in Pacific Northwest Forest Policy

Abstract

Summary During the past decade, a variety of new state and federal laws and regulations have been developed to regulate the use and management of NTFPs on federal and state lands. A growing body of literature on the social aspects of NTFPs indicates that few NTFP harvesters and buyers are involved in the development of these rules. This policy overview draws upon the authors' five years of ethnographic research on the politics of NTFPs and wild mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States to describe and analyze barriers to NTFP harvester and buyer participation in NTFP policy fora. Three case examples of efforts by participants in NTFP industries to organize themselves politically so that they can have a voice in policy and management decisions are discussed. The overview concludes with a series of recommendations for steps that non-governmental organizations and public land management agencies can take to support harvester/buyer efforts to expand their influence over forest policy and management decisions.