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LIVELIHOOD
DIVERSITY:
Non-Timber
Forest Products in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
Marla R. Emery, PH.D.
USDA Forest Service
Northeastern Research Station
What is the role of non-timber
forest products in household livelihoods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula?
A year of fieldwork in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula revealed that non-timber forest products (NTFP) such
as boughs, mushrooms, bark, and berries continue to be an important part of many
people’s livelihoods in this heavily forested northern region. Interviews with
gatherers identified 138 products from more than 80 botanical species. These
products have medicinal, food, floral, and ceremonial uses. They provide for
gatherer households’ needs through both nonmarket and market means. Most
gatherers have multigenerational ties to the region’s forests and acquired the
ecological knowledge and skills needed for successful gathering from older
family members. The role of NTFP as a livelihood strategy varies over time,
becoming most important when formal employment and income are not adequate to
meet household needs.
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Visit
the following links to learn more:
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This site is based on: Emery, Marla R. 1998. Invisible Livelihoods: Non-Timber Forest
Products in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. New Brunswick: Rutgers University.
A complete copy may be ordered from UMI:http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/search
(order # 9915435)
Special thanks
to the
Hiawatha National Forest and the
Northern Global Change Program for their co-sponsorship of the research.
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