Harvest from the woods other than from logs.

[Joe Hillmann]

What products can you harvest from the woods/forest (and maybe sell) that aren't logs?  Here is a list of ones that I know of but would like others suggestions.

Firewood.
Maple syrup.
Mushrooms.
Ginseng.
Balsam boughs.(for Christmas wreaths)
Christmas trees.
Vines (for wreaths)
Pine straw (I think this is more popular in the south with SYP)
Seeds(every so often the DNR buys seeds for reforestation efforts)
Pine cones(for decoration)
Wild Berries & Fruit

What else can you harvest from the woods and maybe make a few bucks on?

[beenthere]

The important part of this "harvest and sell" is the "sell" part and return on your investment. 

Just because it is out there in the forest, doesn't mean one can spend the time and get someone to buy what is collected.

[BradMarks]

There is a market for ferns - in season - out here.

[Joe Hillmann]

There is a market for ferns - in season - out here.

Selling to greenhouses?

[Joe Hillmann]

The important part of this "harvest and sell" is the "sell" part and return on your investment. 

Just because it is out there in the forest, doesn't mean one can spend the time and get someone to buy what is collected.

That is true.  But how much return you need to get on your investment depends on how you view it.  If you see it as an 8 hour a day 5 days a week job that has to pay all your bills you may have a hard time with it.  If you view it as recreation that gives you a reason to get out in nature and any return above cost is helpful.

That is how most people around here view maple syrup.  A pint is worth about $7 but is probably 1/2 an hours worth of collecting, an hours or more worth of boiling, 10 minutes for jaring and at least 1/2 hour of cutting firewood.  So for over 2 hours work you end up with $7.  But still many people in this area do it and make quite a bit of money off it.

[thecfarm]

I've seen some arbors made from real small trees.
Some of the Sothern guys rent thier land out too hunters.

[whiskers]

Wild honey and bees. Dad robbed bee trees and hived bees though I don't recall that he ever sold any bees or honey. Wild bees were more aggressive and now the Africanized bee has about ended any gathering ...
He let me climb and saw the limb where a swarm had settled then lower the swarm onto an old army poncho. He'd cover them with another poncho find the queen and hive the swarm. He never seemed bothered by bee stings. I never developed a fondness for the little buggers... 

[BaldBob]

There is a market for ferns - in season - out here.

Selling to greenhouses?

Mostly selling to florists for use in floral arrangements.

[BaldBob]

When I managed a large Industrial tree farm, we got income from many of the sources already mentioned, plus grazing fees from ranchers, rent from communication sites (cell phone towers, microwave relay sites, radio towers,etc.), mineral exploration rights (they never found enough coal, oil or gas to lease for extraction), camping fees to use improved camp grounds, and road use fees to use some of our roads. Some large land owners where I now live have recently started charging access fees to enter their land.  I believe Hancock is charging several hundred dollars per vehicle per year for access (for hunting,fishing,hiking,etc.) to some of their tree farms.

[Southside]

We run out cattle in our wooded acres.  Thin it to about a 60' X 60' or so grid, frost seed clover, alfalfa, and grasses into the disturbed soil around February, brush hog it for a year or two to knock the weeds and regeneration back so the forage can get a good foothold and then it produces annual income for us in addition to growing more timber. 

[Mark Wentzell]

Balsam fir sap used to be collected for use in preparing microscope slides, I think synthetics are used mostly now.

I don't know if it grows down your way but there is big demand for ground hemlock, specifically for the chemical taxol which is used in chemotherapy drugs. There's issues with over harvesting and theft though.

Fresh air and quiet might be the most valuable product. People spend millions a year to use those. 

[thecfarm]

Ground hemlock,I have not heard that word since my Father passed away. We frought that stuff here in where the low bush blueberries use to be. I finally got rid of it,the blueberries too. Hard to have both. I mow the field quite often,but try to pull up the small ones. Mow it off,it just keeps a coming.

[WV Sawmiller]

Photographs
Turpentine/Pine Sap
Furs
Wild Game
Stress Relief
Holly for Christmas wreaths
Mistletoe for Christmas decorations
Nuts (Walnuts, Hickories, etc)
Spanish Moss/Sphagnum for floral arrangements
Grape vines for wreaths and such


   I'd rethink wild honey and bees in N. America unless conditions are different where you live than here. While common when I was a kids bees very seldom survive the winters now and I understand USDA is interested in reports of wild hives that do survive/over winter to help research their additional hardiness and resistance to mites and diseases.

[clearcut]

A long time ago, the USFS published:

Margaret G. Thomas and David R. Schumann. 1993. Income Opportunities in Special Forest Products--Self-Help Suggestions for Rural Entrepreneurs. Agriculture Information Bulletin AIB–666, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC

Available at:

     http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/agib666/agib666.htm

While most of the contact information is dated, it does suggest some non-timber products, along with techniques for harvesting and processing.

[Rick Alger]

White Birch bark.

[ashes]

There are many mushrooms that can be sold to local restaurants in this area.

[lirachamo51]

there is so much stuff that you can get from your land, from just the birch trees there are countless things you can do, black,white and yellow, from chaga, to candles , tea, extract,syrup, bark, and many more, rock very expensive to buy. shrubs and the list can go on and on. time doing it is another thing and finding people to buy it, hard to make a good living,but can put extra money in the pocket,and lots of joy doing it !!

[smoothED]

I'm still looking into a place in Arkansas that buys certain size saplings to make walking sticks. A few people pulled in my driveway wanting to cut sumac and pick up walnuts, too many sue-happy people out there to let them do that.  :-\

[timberking]

There was some folks gathering pine straw a few years ago.

[ID Mountaineer]

Of course not in all forests but there are many places to prospect for gold. Like has already been said, a lot of these are just good hobbies that give you a good reason to get out, of course just the scenery and solitude is reason enough for me.

[nas]

Wild leeks/aka ramps,
birch sticks and red dogwood branches for Christmas decorations

[jrose1970]

Fishing worms and other bait.  ;D

[mesquite buckeye]

Bittersweet. ;D 8) 8) 8)

[barbender]

I do harvest balsam boughs occasionally, in years past it was a main source of income for me this time of year. My two oldest daughters work for a friend of mine making and decorating Christmas wreaths, and I have a wreath clamping table set up in the basement as well. Actually, that's what I'll probably do today since the woods are too wet for logging.

[enigmaT120]

I knew a guy who used to harvest salal and sell it to florists for arrangements.  I have some on my place but probably not enough to make it worth my while, even if they pay well. 

[coxy]

what is salal

[mesquite buckeye]

?

[JBlain]

I belive salal is a wild plant with edible berries in the NW.  I could see selling hickory walking sticks, wild oregano and other wild plants like cohosh, and we do sell a lot of Chanterelles mushrooms, mostly because my stomach stopped liking them a few years ago, through a friend at a local farmers market.  The city folks can't seem to get enough "from the local woods" food nowadays.   They key is finding a demand niche and market to move things.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

Witch Hazel?

[enigmaT120]

Man, I'd forgotten the latin name until I looked it up.  It's this stuff:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaultheria_shallon

[Texas Ranger]

escape and contemplation

[dustyhat]

I know some loggers that pick up flat sandrock in the winter months, landscapers and home builders buy them but they dont grow back real quick. 55 a ton was what i heard they paid last.

[up2themtn]

Western North Carolina has a strong market for Tulip Poplar bark used to make siding for homes and other buildings.  You mentioned Ginseng, but there a market for hundreds, and really even thousands of other medicinal plants, its all about the marketing.  Firewood is another obvious one.

[davemartin88]

We don't sell it but like to make syrup from Shagbark Hickory bark that falls off the tree. Nice alternative to maple.

[AMBoser]

Here's another mention for medicinal plants. I'm not sure what is available in your woods in your area, but I'm sure there would be quite a few. Native plants make great tinctures and other forms of medicines. I use cottonwood buds (also from Balsam Poplar, makes a fabulous salve for sprains), Oregon grape, Devil's Club, bleeding heart, elderberries, wild ginger, and more. Those are just the plants I know of from my backyard.

[jrose1970]

I didn't notice if anyone mentioned Sassafras. You may not want to sell it, but it makes great tea.
I don't think you have to dig up the root. You may can just use the leaves, but I will have to read up on it.

[samandothers]

mmm sasafrass tea!  Have not had that is quite a while. My grandmother made it.  It was always from the roots.  We would get 'ground pine' or running cedar for Christmas decorations.

[edkemper]

Does anyone actually plant and grow mushrooms? Here in the NW, it's supposed to be a no brainer if you have downed pine trees. There's a season for the pickers on public land and it's competitive. So I'm thinking about growing them as I have mostly a pine forest property.

[John Mc]

People grow them out here on oak logs (I think). I've seen a couple of workshops offered in the area to teach people how to do it. The workshops are always full.

[beenthere]

Shiitake mushrooms are grown on red oak logs prepared with holes drilled for inserting small inoculated plugs, that are sealed with wax.

[Darrel]

Obsidian can be gathered on Modoc National Forest in California.

[ten_mile]

I have been growing shiitake mushrooms on oak logs. The logs will produce mushrooms for about 5 years. I'll be starting a new batch this spring. I have also tried growing a few other varieties of mushrooms on logs. I had moderate success with cultivated oyster mushrooms and poor results with the other species I tried. The shiitakes are rather easy.

[JBlain]

I have been doing Shiitake mushrooms on oak and hard maple bolts for a few years now.  Just for fun.  The oldest daughter loves helping.  I cut a few hundred bolts and we usually have a big day with food and friends and everyone helps and takes some home.  I also supply a friend who grows them for sale commercially.  All my harvesting concentrates on thinning from below and removing the junk.  The junk grows great mushrooms.  We grow oysters on wheat straw in plastic bags with holes in it with success.

[51cub]

Another mention for pine straw. Beekeepers burn it in their smokers

[AfraidChocker]

Black spruce branches can be boiled in water and made into a low grade beer

The bark off Eastern Hemlock was once taken off the tree and used to tan hides. (In fact whole trees would be felled, stripped of their bark and the whole tree left to rot in the woods because it was not good for anything else back then).

In my house I have slate that I found while clearing forest back into fields. It too can be sold for profit.

[AfraidChocker]

From white spruce they use to make gum.

From White Spruce they used to extract the gum and then refine it into oil (there was a plant in 1907 in Benton NH)

Hackmatack stumps can be dig up, their main roots used for "knees" in the building of ships.

White birch has been used for eons for a paper substitute

White Birch has been used in the making of canoes by the Indians

Forked birch saplings can be used for boot jacks

[ppine]

We used to sell Cascara bark to pharmaceutical supply houses when I was in school.