Timber and non-timber forest product extraction and management in the tropics: towards compatibility?

Tropical forests have the potential to satisfy multiple demands for goods
and services. Yet integrated management approaches across multiple goods remain
elusive. Here we consider selective harvesting of timber and non-timber forest
product (NTFP) extraction. We analyze the current status of this combination and
speculate on prospects and challenges regarding (1) resource inventory, (2) ecology
and silviculture, (3) conflict in the use of multipurpose tree species, (4) wildlife
conservation and use, (5) tenure, and (6) product certification. Convincing conclusions
are hampered by the relative paucity of comprehensive studies and lessons
learned on what has worked and what has not in the context of integrated management
for timber and NTFPs. Interventions for enhancing the compatibility of timber
and NTFP extraction must be scaled in relation to the size of the area being
managed, applied timber harvesting intensities, and the dynamics of multiactor,
forest partnerships (e.g., between the private sector and local communities). In
addition, training and education issues may have to be recrafted with multiple-use
management approaches inserted into tropical forestry curricula.