What isn`t an NTFP (Non-Timber Forest Product)?

Abstract

What is a Non-Timer forest Product (NTFP)? This debate has raged since the term wa scoined by de Beer and McDermott (1989). At every meeting where NTFPs are discussed there will be some discussion about the terminology and about what should be included and what should not be included in the definition. There are many alternate terms that are used more or less as synonyms, each with its proponents. One unit of the FAO insists on the use of the term non-wood forest products of NWFP, while another uses NTFP or other variants. Terms such as wild products natural products non-timer forest and grassland products, veld products and sustainably produced wood products (ostensibly distinct from industrial timber) and many others have entered the vernacular.