How, When, and Why of Forest Farming

Unit 2 : Site Assessment and Non-Timber Forest Crop Selection
Section: 5.1

Introduction to Vegetation Inventory

A vegetation inventory is an estimation of plant biodiversity within a defined area. Determining what mixture of trees, shrubs, and non-woody species already grow on your forest property will assist you in the process of site design and planning in two ways:

Identify opportunities that exist already for wildcrafting
- sugar maple trees for maple syrup production
- edible wild mushrooms
- medicinal forest herbs (e.g. wild ginseng)
- natural materials for handicrafts
Indicate the soil and other environmental conditions that help predict the suitability of candidate NTFC species.