Changes in wild berry picking in Finland between 1997 and 2011

Vaara, Matti; Saastamoinen, Olli; Turtiainen, Marjut

doi:10.1080/02827581.2013.786123

Cited by 35 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Wild berries are key resources harvested by humans and animals in alpine and boreal ecosystems (Parlee and Berkes 2006, Vaara et al 2013, Cuerrier et al 2015. In Finland, over half the population harvest berries and the activity is protected by the "everyman's right," the traditional right to access private and public forests (Pouta et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and herbivore influence on Vaccinium myrtillus over the last 40 years in northwest Lapland, Finland

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Annual fluctuations in the abundance of wild berries have repercussions on animals and humans who depend on this important resource. Although studies have tried to disentangle the effect of climate and herbivores on inter-annual berry yield, there are still many uncertainties as to which factors are driving productivity. In this research, we evaluated the effect of climate and predation by rodents and moths on the abundance of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) flowers and berries at the Kilpisj€ arvi Biological Station in northwest Finnish Lapland. The data were collected from 1973 to 2014 in a forest and an alpine site, both undisturbed by human activities. This dataset is unique due to the length of the sampling period, the availability of flower, berry, and rodent abundance data as well as the undisturbed nature of the habitat. Previous summer temperatures, the abundance of rodents, and the presence of a moth outbreak were complementary factors explaining the abundance of flowers. Herbivores had a larger impact on flower production than climate, but both variables were important to understand reproductive effort. Contrary to results from experimental studies, warmer winters did not significantly influence reproductive success. The abundance of fruits was strongly correlated with pollinator activity; the forest site, with a larger pollinator network, had a higher reproductive success and spring conditions were linked to inter-annual variability in fruit production. Our results illustrate the importance of the location of the population within the species distribution range to understand plant sensitivity to climatic fluctuations with fruit production only influenced by current year summer temperatures at the alpine site. Finally, we observed a general increase in flower and fruit production at the alpine site, which was driven by large yields since the early 1990s. Fruit production at the forest site was comparatively stable throughout the study period.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate and herbivore influence on Vaccinium myrtillus over the last 40 years in northwest Lapland, Finland

et al. 2017

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“…The availability of certain wild plant species, however, is hard to predict, and berries and mushrooms in particular may be available in very different volumes from year to year. For example five times more bilberries were sold in 1997 than 1999 by all Finnish households [16], while the turnover of a Finnish company marketing wild edible fungi was twelve times greater in 2007 than in 2003, a year with particularly limited availability [17]. A low availability of wild plant species also leads to fewer gatherers engaging in the gathering of wild plant species, since it takes greater effort to achieve harvesting volumes [16].…”

Section: Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example five times more bilberries were sold in 1997 than 1999 by all Finnish households [16], while the turnover of a Finnish company marketing wild edible fungi was twelve times greater in 2007 than in 2003, a year with particularly limited availability [17]. A low availability of wild plant species also leads to fewer gatherers engaging in the gathering of wild plant species, since it takes greater effort to achieve harvesting volumes [16]. Decreasing availability may even result in the transformation of wild plant gathering from a profession to an additional source of income, as in the case of truffle gathering in Piedmont, Italy [18].…”

Section: Availabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mushrooms are particularly sensitive to climate variability because both drought and floods adversely affect their growth [19,20]. Climate change with warmer and drier weather may in general have negative effects on mushroom availability [18], but also on the availability of berries because warmer winters lead to early flowering and greater risk of spring frosts [16].…”

Section: Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

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Conceptualising the Factors that Influence the Commercialisation of Non-Timber Forest Products: The Case of Wild Plant Gathering by Organic Herb Farmers in South Tyrol (Italy)

2019

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The gathering and commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFP) in Europe has repeatedly been praised for its potential to support rural development. However, political support mechanisms explicitly targeting NTFP remain underdeveloped. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the design of support mechanisms by understanding the factors that influence the commercialisation of wild plants by organic farmers. We first developed a conceptual framework based on fifteen factors and then applied the framework to a case study in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Italy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all fourteen members of the Vereinigung Südtiroler Kräuteranbauer (Associazione Coltivatori Sudtirolesi Piante Officinali), who commercialised wild plant species, and the data were then analysed using qualitative content analysis. Agricultural intensification, pesticide drift, limited access to gathering sites suitable for organic certification, legal restrictions, lack of consumer awareness about the additional value of organic wild plant certification, and limited product diversity were perceived as limiting factors; management techniques in organic farming, organic certification, a trend for wild, regional and healthy foods, the availability of training, and favourable cultural values and attitudes towards wild plant gathering were perceived as supportive. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the many diverse factors that may influence wild plant commercialisation in Europe and beyond and provides guidance on how political support mechanisms could unlock the much heralded potential of wild plant commercialisation for rural development.

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“…In addition, the health effects of many wild berry species have been widely recognized. In 2011, the total amount of wild berries collected by Finnish households was 34.9 million kg and, of this amount, cowberry constituted 46% (16.1 million kg) (Vaara et al 2013). In this context, it is important to note that not only people but also many wild animal species benefit from wild berries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical prediction models for the coverage and yields of cowberry in Finland

Turtiainen¹,

Miina²,

Salo³

et al. 2013

Silva Fenn.

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-P. (2013). Empirical prediction models for the coverage and yields of cowberry in Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 3 article id 1005. 22 p. Highlights• The site fertility significantly affected the abundance of cowberry on mineral soils, spruce mires and pine mires.• The stand basal area and dominant tree species were among the most important forest structural predictors in the model for the coverage. • In the cowberry yield model developed for mineral soil sites, the stand basal area and coverage of cowberry plants were statistically significant predictors. AbstractEmpirical models for the coverage and berry yield of cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) were developed using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs). The percentage coverage of cowberry was predicted as a function of site and stand characteristics using data from the Finnish National Forest Inventory (NFI) in 1995. The average annual yield, including the between-year variation in the yield, was predicted as a function of percentage coverage and stand characteristics using permanent experimental plots (MASI) established in different areas of Finland and measured in 2001-2012. The model for cowberry yields (Model 2) was developed for mineral soil forests. The model for the coverage (Model 1) was constructed so that it considers both mineral soil sites and also many other sites where cowberry occurs in the field layer. According to Model 1, the site fertility significantly affected the abundance of cowberry on mineral soils, spruce mires and pine mires. The stand basal area and dominant tree species were among the most important forest structural predictors in Model 1. The site fertility was not a significant predictor in the cowberry yield model. Instead, the stand basal area and coverage of cowberry plants were found to be statistically significant predictors in Model 2. The estimated models were used to predict the cowberry coverage, average annual yield and its 95% confidence interval along with stand development. The models of this study can be used for multi-objective forest planning purposes.

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Changes in wild berry picking in Finland between 1997 and 2011

Cited by 35 publications

References 23 publications

Climate and herbivore influence on Vaccinium myrtillus over the last 40 years in northwest Lapland, Finland

Climate and herbivore influence on Vaccinium myrtillus over the last 40 years in northwest Lapland, Finland

Conceptualising the Factors that Influence the Commercialisation of Non-Timber Forest Products: The Case of Wild Plant Gathering by Organic Herb Farmers in South Tyrol (Italy)

Empirical prediction models for the coverage and yields of cowberry in Finland

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