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Résumé :
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Although North American forests traditionally have been viewed as a source of wood and paper, a variety of profitable products are being discovered that come not only from trees, but from nonwoody plants, lichens, fungi, algae, and microorganisms. The northem temperate forests abundant biotic resources are being transformed into medicinals, botanicals, decoratives, natural foods, and a host of other novel and useful products. Consumer forces, social climate, expanding global markets, and an increase in entrepreneurialism are contributing to a new interest in developing these products as a viable economic option. Species diversity, a biological attribute that contributes to the ecological stability of forests, takes on an economic value to those sourcing or "biodiversity prospecting" for natural products. Consideration should be given to how this diversity might contribute to stabilizing economies, particularly of communities that have a vital relationship with forests. A totally integrated model of ecosystem management or of sustainable forestry would include this kind of interaction.
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