Non-timber forest products– an overview

Jenny WongWild Resources Ltd & Bangor University

Making Woodlands Pay – RFS & CONFOR conference 1st Nov 2016, National Memorial Arboretum

Categories of products

• Mass market• Niche/specialised• Experiential

Mass market productsSale of raw materials in bulk• tan bark• moss• Resins• Byproducts

Niche/specialised productsSmall scale, local/territorial, innovation-driven• wild fruit wine• hand-made herbal soap• Christmas decorations• Green-woodworking• ebay• Branding

Experiential productsBased around customer interaction with products • bushcraft training• fungi forays• basket weaving classes

Consumption in 28 European countries (2015)

Very large markets for products

elsewhere in EuropeUK – 75-80% households

consume NTFPs

What type of products? (EU average)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Fresh truffles

Frozen or prepared truffles

Products based on sap and resins

Fresh sap and raw resins

Handcrafted forest foliage and greenery

Fresh, dry and non-handcrafted forest foliage and greenery

Canned, juice, spirits or processed nuts

Fresh wild plants

Dried, frozen, prepared wild mushroom

Fresh wild mushroom

Products based on natural extracts

Dried, frozen, prepared wild berries

Fresh berries

Fresh or dried nuts

Rhododendron, moss, Christmas foliage

Exports from ScotlandRestaurants, high end shops

Bulbs, seed

Essential oils, soaps

Elderflower drinks, sloe gin, country wine

Bilberry ?

Birch sap ?

Turpentine ?

Truffle orchards ?

Conifer brash ?

Value-addition ?

Household consumption of NTFPs in UK (2015)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Forest foliage & greenery

Wild nuts

Wild mushroms

Truffles

Wild berries

Wild herbs

Sap & resins

Percent UK households

Picked Fresh Processed (value-added)

Market for experiential products

Potential demand for UK supply

Mass market & value addition

Very limited in UK

Personal picking

~8-13% of all UK households (6% of

population) pick for themselves

European mean 24.5% of all

households pick NTFPs

30% in rural areas and 23% in

urban

20058% - foods & drinks8% - decorations & crafts6% - seasonal items1% - herbs

Assessment of potential for forest owner income

Type of product

Possible products Potential income?

Barriers Opportunities

Mass market Timber byproductse.g. brash/foliage extractivesFoliage & mossMushroomsFlowers / berries

Modest for small number of owners

No supply chainsLabour cost & supply

Cultivate suitable speciesSupply chain developmentCertificationAccumulators

Artisanal(niche)

Soaps, brushes, wild food, innovative products

GoodUnique, life-style owners

InnovationEntrepreneurship Premises

Picking permitsRegional branding

Experiential Courses, camping,innovation

Modest to goodLife-style owners

SkillsEntrepreneurship Premises

Contracts with third party entrepreneurs

Conclusions• Income potential is there but difficult to access• Supply chains underdeveloped• Innovation is critical for higher value products• Entrepreneurship is required for higher incomes• Rental/permit incomes likely to be low as value is in

services, product or marketing

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