Conference on Non-Timber Forest Products
Posted by: Kathie Brosemer (kathie) on February 16, 2003 at 22:49:05
from the i'm-too-lazy-to-set-a-department dept.
From the Chronicle-Journal, Thunder Bay. Byline: Carl Clutchey.
Wild thing . . . I think I love you. Especially if you're a sweet Northern Ontario blueberry or a delectable mushroom. That's the thinking behind an aptly named "Wild Things" conference being planned in Greenstone this summer to promote alternative ways of making a living from the region's forests. Full story below.
"Basically you've got all these blueberry pickers in Quebec and Nova Scotia, but in Northern Ontario, where there's a good crop of wild berries, nobody's taking advantage of it," Greenstone forestry technician and conference co-organizer Matt Hill said yesterday.
Hill said the goal of July's three-day conference is to encourage about a dozen would-be entrepreneurs to make a serious attempt at commercially harvesting everything from blueberries to wild mushrooms.
A conference backgrounder says while wood accounts for the lion's share of the $19 billion generated annually from Ontario's forests, the potential for exporting berry crops and other products, such as native crafts, is underutilized.
Research suggests the production of so-called non-timber forest products could generate $9.6 million for the Regional Municipality of Greenstone's economy alone.
Marathon businessman Rob Woito, who began harvesting wild rice on a remote Northwestern Ontario lake seven years ago, said would-be entrepreneurs shouldn't underestimate the time-commitment involved. And the money, Woito says, isn't that great. Woito says potential exporters of wild produce, for instance, would be lucky to gross $10,000 a year.
The formal name of the July conference is: Wild Things . . . Opening Doors to Business Opportunities from Natural Products.
Those interest in registering should call (807) 854-2335.
blueberries and birch syrup
Up north past White River Regan Mobert area huge forest fire about five years ago resulted in enormous carpets of blueberrycrop. Forest destroyed mostly just burnt trees standing for tens of kms but should be a bonanza for succession species for years.by aj on 2003-02-16 23:20:16
Could have been larger than the famous Mississagi fire of about 50 years ago N of Ranger Road area.
Birch syrup is omly marketed in Alaska and Finland, time to start it here. Could easily be as big a business as the maple syrup.
It has no sugra but a near relative xylitol which apparently doesnt destroy teeth nor raise blood sugars. So it could be marketed as a sugar like semi sweet material natural safe for diabetics.
You can actually buy and taste xylitol candy imported from Finland at Superior bakery.
Mushrooms we would need courses by locals about safe fungi.
Pick and eat the wrong kind and youre dead.
aj