This paper reviews selected quantitative indicators designed to help in the comparison and classification of non-timber forest products and services in Europe. These indicators have been based on fragmentary data available through COST Action E30 (phase one) country reports. Two preliminary sets of indicators are suggested, which are applied to four selected countries from a larger survey as examples. A general description of the objectives and the theoretical background for the cross-country comparison is presented, and their usefulness and limitations are examined in these examples. The market potential of NTFP&S is unequally developed within and distributed throughout the countries that have been included in this sample survey. In this first attempt to sort out the importance NTFP&S have within the national economies of these selected countries, it became obvious that national and regional imbalances are major limitations for comparison. However, NTFP&S are relevant, according to particular regions and the social strata of the society that deal with them, predominantly for rural livelihoods.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the age of trees, daily sap volume as well as the term of tapping birch sap collected in the forest environment on the content of selected minerals (zinc, copper and manganese) and heavy metals (lead, nickel, chromium and cadmium). The study was performed on material taken from two stands (aged 34 and 84 years) in a moist broadleaved forest habitat with a dominant share of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). The research results confirmed the presence of both nutritional essential minerals and hazardous heavy metals in the birch sap. At the same time, the content of minerals and heavy metals was found to be very variable and the differences between their concentrations, recorded on the same day of collecting in several trees of the same age group, can be even several dozen times higher. Depending on the examined elements, the factors influencing their content vary. The age of the trees determines only the manganese content; daily sap volume significantly affects the content of manganese and copper, and date of collection differentiates the content of zinc, lead, nickel and cadmium. The results may be interesting in the context of developing procedures for collecting birch sap for the purpose of obtaining raw material with beneficial nutritional values and a high level of health safety. For this reason, our recommendation for guaranteeing the health safety and high nutritional value of birch sap is to combine batches of raw material taken from as many trees as possible, and at the same time to publicize the fact that collecting birch sap from just one single tree may result in a raw material that is both dangerous and has no nutritional benefits.
The study included gall nuts caused by Cynips quercusfolii collected from Quercus robur and Andricus infectorius, harvested from Quercus infectoria. The evaluation of the percentage content of tannins expressed as a pyrogallol was performed using the analytical methodology recommended by the current “European Pharmacopoeia 10”. In order to compare the chemical composition of the tested samples, chromatographic profiles and ion mass distribution spectra were made using high-performance liquid chromatography techniques coupled with two types of detection: spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry. The average content of tannins expressed as pyrogallol for C. quercusfolii ranged from 13.36% to 14.74%, while for A. infectorius it was from 34.77% to 39.95%. The comparison of both the mass spectra and the chromatographic profiles shows a high similarity of all samples of C. quercusfolii and large differences in the chemical composition compared to A. infectorius. The tested C. quercusfolii should be considered a much poorer tannin source than A. infectorius. It cannot be simultaneously treated as its substitute raw material due to the lower tannins percentage content and different chemical composition. However, compared to other Central European herbal raw materials, C. quercusfolii gall nuts are an alternative tannin source with potential use in herbal medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Before man learned how to use wood as fuel, weapon or building material, he had used forest goods such as fruit, herbs, mushrooms etc. In the scientific literature, we can find many reports on their importance in culture and tradition. Their significance of forest goods in folk medicine is indisputable, but many of them, according to contemporary beliefs, had magical properties. People believed they were supposed to ensure happiness, prosperity, protect against diseases or even bring misfortune to another being. Many historical uses of these goods have been forgotten. The interest of societies in their history is currently increasing and they want to feel a connection with ancestors. They want to find out where superstitions and traditions prevailing in their country or family come from. Knowledge about non-wood forest products is a great opportunity to increase the awareness of societies about their history, but also to build awareness about the forest and nature. This paper presents an overview of selected non-wood forest products, highlighting their relationship with the folk tradition, but mainly in the context of forestry promotion -they can be an excellent element of forest education, and should also be included in the recreational management of the forest.
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