forests aren't just timber: think mushrooms, ginseng and sugar

A new Cornell online resource center can help forest owners learn to cultivate economically viable and environmentally sustainable crops other than timber.

Many landowners question how to afford to have so much forest land and pay taxes on it

gourmet mushrooms, maple sugar and such medicinal herbs as American ginseng and goldenseal are among the products that have the highest potential for producing additional income.

Forest log-grown shiitake mushrooms, for example, which are considered epicurean delights, sell for two to eight times more per pound than the more widely available commercially grown version.

Landowners are interested in cultivating their forests and making things happen with sustainable agroforestry, rather than just harvesting them for timber