ABSTRACT
In 2005–06, forest products – principally softwood lumber, pulp and paper – contributed US$35.7 billion to the Canadian gross domestic product (GDP) (Natural Resources Canada, 2006). In the same fiscal year, the three NTFPs documented by Natural Resources Canada (NRC) – Christmas trees, maple syrup and wild pelts other than sealskins – contributed some US$238 million to the GDP (NRC, 2006). The Canadian Forest Service (CFS) estimates, however, that the actual contribution of all NTFPs is between US$689 million and $1.26 billion annually (NRC, 2005) – still less than 3 per cent of the documented value of timber and pulp products.
