Declines in timber harvests on public lands and new market opportunities have rekindled an interest in nontimber forest products. Such products as edible mushrooms, medicinal plants, and floral and holiday greens provide alternative sources of revenue and employment for rural communities. This paper describes and analyzes the contribution of the nontimber forest product industries in the Pacific Northwest from economic, social, and ecological perspectives.

Encompasses literature on the historic & current scope of nontimber forest product industries in the Pacific NW & includes references on international markets & trade that bear on these industries. Key themes are: biological & socioeconomic aspects of resource management for sustainable production; procedures for identifying, monitoring, & inventorying important resources; means for technical innovation & resource development; & public education. Keywords at the end of each annotation are organized in an index that references species, geographic location, & key themes, topics, & organizations.

Participatory research has emerged as an approach to producing knowledge that is sufficiently grounded in local needs and realities to support community-based natural resource management (CBNRM), and it is often touted as crucial to the sustainable management of forests and other natural resources. This book analyses the current state of the art of participatory research in CBNRM. Its chapters and case studies examine recent experiences in collaborative forest management, harvesting impacts on forest shrubs, watershed restoration in Native American communities, civic environmentalism in an urban neighborhood and other topics. Although the main geographic focus of the book is the United States, the issues raised are synthesized and discussed in the context of recent critiques of participatory research and CBNRM worldwide. The book's purpose is to provide insights and lessons for academics and practitioners involved in CBNRM in many contexts. The issues it covers will be relevant to participatory research and CBNRM practitioners and students the world over.