Diversity, productivity, profitability, sustainability, and the tao of underutilized species
2001
Youngs, R.L. | Hammett, A.L.
Improved utilization of underutilized timber species may offer increased opportunities on a global scale for both needed products and healthy, sustainable forests. Their effective use is an integral element in forest conservation. Processing of such species is a key factor and both processing technology and marketing are more important than is generally considered to bring adequate supplies into the product mix. The unused, or underutilized, part of the resource is usually larger and more extensive than that commonly used, amounting to as much as 90 percent of the forest by some estimates. The resource is highly diverse and processing will need to accommodate that diversity. Productivity and profitability are as essential as for the commonly used resource. Sustainability of the forest is a pervasive criterion for species use. Advances in technology for using diverse species, groups of species, and mixtures of species provide new options to broaden the resource base. Marketing is a critical element in relating consumer needs to producer output. Achieving increased use of underutilized species means overcoming many obstacles. Chief among those is the fact that this woody biomass is generally not of the size, species, and quality being used in the industry. Also, there is usually no assured supply around which to develop economical conversion processes and marketing systems. Effective processing and use will require careful attention to productivity and profitability if it is also to maintain forest diversity and sustainability.
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