Bonanza Creek LTER focuses on the Alaskan boreal forest. The forest provides important ecosystem services that include tangible benefits for the communities that reside in Interior Alaska.  Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as berries, mushrooms, firewood, and birch bark are key resources that are gathered from the landscape. NTFPs are harvested for subsistence, cultural, personal, and commercial purposes. Similar types of resources such as fish and game have an established management system with licensing and permits whereas NTFPs in Alaska just recently begun receiving management attention. Elsewhere NTFP management is far more regulated, such as Washington State where permits are needed for activities such as transporting commercially harvested huckleberries.

Because of different uses and motivations for participating in NTFPs harvesting activities, no single valuation system can capture the whole picture. Quantifying amounts harvested and number of trips taken is one way to begin to interpret non-market value of NTFP resources. This analysis demonstrates that one–third of households in Alaska’s Tanana Valley picked wild blueberries and one-quarter of households harvested firewood for personal or subsistence use during 2003. While quantifying NTPF harvest can describe part of what harvesting is taking place, it does not capture the whole story.  Qualitative interviews area also necessary to better capture people’s motivations for harvesting NTFPs and the value that these resources contribute to people’s lifestyles. Through these methods, resources managers will have more information to consider when deciding to develop and implement new management systems for NTFPs in order to meet the needs of the boreal forest communities.