Minor forest products of the Pacific Northwest.

Abstract

The evergreen forests of Washington and Oregon are the source of an interesting variety of so-called "minor products," Many of these forest sidelines are not well known. They are generally underestimated and quite often misunderstood. This is partly because the value and significance of these smaller, incidental products of the forest have long been overshadowed by the emphasis on timber production. The independent, unorganized harvesting methods have also contributed to the obscurity of these minor forest products. But even so, in 1948 they brought to the hundreds of local harvesters and producers in the Pacific Northwest an estimated return of 4 or 5 million dollars. This represents only the direct forest asset value of the raw products and does not include the wages or income from packing, processing, and handling. Moreover, these minor products constitute a source of continuous income that can be derived from the forest while the long-time timber crop is growing. They are, in reality, a product of forest conditions.

Citation

Shaw, Elmer W. 1949. Minor forest products of the Pacific Northwest. PNW Old Series Research Notes No. 59, p. 1-10