A dilemma of forest resource policy around the world is the trade-off between timber and non-timber values

While the Pacific Northwest has a major impact in the timber market, there are other non-timber forest products that play an important role in our economy. Non-timber forest products can include berries, mushrooms, plant species, tourism, essential oils, holiday wreaths, firewood, and benefits for agricultural soil which all benefit economic production and GDP. If tasked with conducting economic research on a non-timber forest product, I would select edible culinary or eco tourism. Edible culinary since this includes products such as berries, mushrooms, seeds, nuts, native truffles and other edible greens that have become key items within our grocery stores and diets. Without these foods within the economy, farmers would struggle to make a profit and would cause shifts within the supply and demand change. The demand for other foods would potentially increase if these items became too expensive, causing chain reactions within different markets. Ecotourism is another important non-timber forest product that has generated large amounts of profit to the economy. People that desire to interact and be in nature invest in permits to visit these parks and value the benefits visiting these places can bring. National parks such as Yosemite receive massive amounts of profit during the seasons when people from all over the world come to witness the beauty and geographic scenery that is world renowned. Ecotourism also provides opportunity for educational learning and scientific research that further promotes advancements in scientific and medical fields. Both of these non-timber products are crucial to our economy and would have a great impact in market systems if they were removed from our access.