Nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are fundamental to the functioning of healthy forests and play vital roles in the cultures and economies of the people of the United States. However, these plants and fungi used for food, medicine, and other purposes have not been fully incorporated into management, policy, and resource valuation. This report is a forest-sectorwide assessment of the state of the knowledge regarding NTFPs science and management information for U.S. forests and rangelands (and hereafter referred to as the NTFP assessment). The NTFP assessment serves as a baseline science synthesis and provides information for managing nontimber forest resources in the United States. In addition, this NTFP assessment provides information for national-level reporting on natural capital and the ecosystem services NTFPs provide. The report also provides technical input to the 2017 National Climate Assessment (NCA) under development by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).
