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Scientists & Staff

Marla Emery

Title: Research Geographer
Unit: People and Their Environments: Social Science Supporting Natural Resource Management and Policy
Address: NRS
Aiken Center, Room 303E; 81 Carrigan Drive
Burlington, VT 05405
Phone: 802-656-1720
E-mail: Contact Marla Emery

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Education

Ph.D. Geography, Rutgers University, 1998

Civic & Professional Affiliations

Association of American Geographers, International Association for Society & Natural Resources, Society for Economic Botany

Current Research

Contemporary nontimber forest product (NTFP) uses, especially in the eastern United States and elsewhere in the industrialized world.

Livelihood Diversity: Non-Timber Forest Products in Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Why is This Important

Surveys suggest that approximately 20% of the U.S. population gathers NTFPs. This widespread, if poorly understood, activity creates direct connections between people and forests.
NTFPs may present income opportunities for forest landowners.
NTFPs, especially those that have become global commodities, present sustainability concerns.
NTFPs present environmental justice opportunities and challenges.
NTFPs present opportunities to explore a range of human-forest interactions and, as a result, the possibility of both empirical and theoretical advances in our understanding of these relationships.
Recent legislation mandates that the USFS manage for NTFPs. We need sound scientific information to meet that legislative requirement.

Future Research

We are planning a comprehensive research program to support sustainable managementof nontimberl forest products (NTFPs). The program would participate innational and international efforts while keeping a primary focus in the NRSregion. Research would take place across the urban-rural gradient. The program wouldaddress the following five objectives:

to identify the culturally and economically important (C&EI) NTFPs harvested in and around the State.
to understand the ecologies of the C&EI SFPs harvested in and around the State.
to understand the uses and values of the C&EI SFPs harvested in and around the state.
to inventory and monitor the C&EI SFPs harvested in and around the State.
to develop comprehensive plans, in a participatory manner, for managing the C&EI SFPs harvested in and around the State.

Featured Publications

Ginger, Clare; Emery, Marla R.; Baumflek, Michelle J.; Punam, David E. 2012. Access to natural resources on private property: factors beyond right of entry. Society and Natural Resources. 25: 700-715.
McLain, R.J.; MacFarland, K.; Brody, L.; Hebert, J.; Hurley, P.; Poe, M.; Buttolph, L.P.; Gabriel, N.; Dzuna, M.; Emery, M.R.; Charnley, S. 2012. Gathering in the city: an annotated bibliography and review of the literature about human-plant interactions in urban ecosystems. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-849. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 107 p.
Barron, Elizabeth S.; Emery, Marla R. 2012. Implications of variation in social-ecological systems for the development of U.S. fungal management policy. Society and Natural Resources. 25: 996-1011.
McLain, Rebecca; Poe, Melissa; Hurley, Patrick T.; Lecompte-Mastenbrook, Joyce; Emery, Marla R. 2012. Producing edible landscapes in Seattle's urban forest. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 11: 187-194
Diamond, Allaire K.; Emery, Marla R. 2011. Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.): Local ecological knowledge of site characteristics and morphology associated with basket-grade specimens in New England (USA). Economic Botany. 65(4): 422-426.

Additional Online Publications

Skog, Ken; Howard, James; Alexander, Susan; Cordell, Ken; Emery, Marla; Mercer, Evan; Mou, Shela; Magis, Kristen; McDonough, Maureen. 2011. Maintenance and enhancement of long-term multiple socioeconomic benefits to meet the needs of societies. Criterion 6.. In: National report on sustainable forests - 2011. FS-979. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: II-67 to II-106.
Alexander, Susan J.; Oswalt, Sonja N.; Emery, Marla R. 2011. Nontimber forest products in the United States: Montreal Process indicators as measures of current conditions and sustainability. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-851. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 36 p
Baumflek, Michelle J.; Emery, Marla R.; Ginger, Clare. 2010. Culturally and economically important nontimber forest products of northern Maine. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-68. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 74 p.
Dyke, Alison; Emery, Marla R. 2010. NTFPs in Scotland: Changing attitudes to access rights in a reforesting land. In: Laird, Sarah A.; McLain, Rebecca J.; Wynberg, Rachel P., eds. Wild product governance: Finding policies that work for non-timber forest products. London: Earthscan: 135-154.
Greenlaw, Suzanne; Emery, Marla R.; Kimmerer, Robin W.; Bridgen, Michael. 2010. Understanding and integrating native knowledge to determine and identify high quality ash resources. In: Michler, Charles H.; Ginzel, Matthew D., eds. 2010. Proceedings of symposium on ash in North America; 2010 March 9-11; West Lafayette, IN. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-72. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 8.
Emery, Marla R.; Barron, Elizabeth S. 2010. Using local ecological knowledge to assess morel decline in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region. Economic Botany. 64(3): 205-216.
Barron, Elizabeth S.; Emery, Marla R. 2009. Protecting resources: Assessing visitor harvesting of wild morel mushrooms in two national capital region parks. Natural Resource Technical Report NPS/NCRO/NRTR--2009/002. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Washington, D.C. 52 p.
Robbins, Paul; Emery, Marla; Rice, Jennifer L. 2008. Gathering in Thoreau's backyard: nontimber forest product harvesting as practice. Area. 40(2): 265-277.
McCandless, Susannah R.; Emery, Marla R. 2008. Partial power, partial knowledge: accounting for the dis-integration of a Costa Rican cooperative. Society and Natural Resources. 21: 310-323.
Emery, Marla; Martin, Suzanne; Dyke, Alison. 2006. Wild Harvests from Scottish Woodlands Social, cultural and economic values of contemporary non-timber forest products. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh. 1?40.
Emery, Marla R.; Pierce, Alan R. 2005. Interrupting the telos: locating subsistence in contemporary US forests. Environment and Planning 37:981-993
Pierce, Alan R.; Emery, Marla R. 2005. The use of forests in times of crisis: ecological literacy as a safety net. Forest, Trees, and Livelihoods 15:249-252
Martin, Suzanne; Emery, Marla; Dyke, Alison. 2005. Wild harvests from Scottish woodlands: an exploration of the health and well-being of non-timber forest products collection and use. In: Gallis, C. Proceedings of first Europen Cost E39 conference: forests, trees, health, and well-being. Thessaloniki, Greece: National Agriculture Research, Forest Research Institute: [inclusive pages unknown]
Emery, Marla R.; Pierce, Alan R.; Schroeder, Robert. 2004. Criterion 6, indicator 47 area and percent of forest land used for subsistence purposes. In: Darr, David R., coord. Data report: a supplement of the national report on sustainable forests-2003. FS-766A. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Emery, Marla R.; Ginger, Clare; Newman, Siri; Giammusso, Michael R.B. 2003. Special forest products in context: gatherers and gathering in the Eastern United States. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-306. Newtown Squre, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 59 p.
Emery, Marla R. 2003. Wild plants and all our other relations: the ethics of using, developing, and managing nontimber forest products. In: Alaska Boreal Forest Council, Comps. Proceedings: hidden forest values. The first Alaska-wide nontimber forest products conference and tour; 2001 November 8-11; Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-579. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station: 53-54.
Emery, Marla R. 2002. Historical overview of nontimber forest product uses in the Northeastern United States. In: Jones, Eric T.; McLain, Rebecca J.; and Weigand, James, eds. Nontimber Forest Products in the United States. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas: 3-25
Emery, Marla R. 2002. Space outside the market: implications of NTFP certification for subsistence use (US). In: Shanley, Patricia; Pierce, Alan R.; Laird, Sarah A.; and Guillen, Abraham, eds. Tapping the Green Market: Certification and Management of Non-Timber Forest Products. Sterling, VA: Earthscan Publishing Ltd.: 302-312
Barnett, Charles; Butler, Brett; Dolan, Paul; Dupree, Thomas; Emery, Marla; Lister, Andrew; Lister, Tonya; Ricard, Paul; Sparks, Catherine; Wharton, Eric; Widmann, Richard. 2002. The Forests of Rhode Island. NE-INF-155-02. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 24 p.
Emery, Marla; O'Halek, Shandra L. 2001. Brief overview of historical non-timber forest product use in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest. Journal of Sustainable Forestry 13(3/4):25-30
Emery, Marla; O'Halek, Shandra L. 2001. Brief overview of historical non-timber forest product use in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and Upper Midwest. In: Emery, Marla R.; McLain, Rebecca J., eds. Non-timber forest products: medicinal herbs, fungi, edible fruits and nuts, and other natural products from the forest. Binghamton, NY: Food Products Press: 25-30
Emery, Marla R. 2001. Gatherers, practices, and livelihodd roles of non-timber forest products. Non-timber forest products, fact sheet no. 6. Virginia Tech: Blacksburg, VA. 5 p.
McLain, Rebecca J.; Emery, Marla R. 2001. Introduction. In: Emery, Marla R.; McLain, Rebecca J., eds. Non-timber forest products: medicinal herbs, fungi, edible fruits and nuts, and other natural products from the forest. Binghamton, NY: Food Products Press: 1-4
Emery, Marla R. 2001. Non-timber forest products and livelihoods in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In: Davidson-Hunt, Iain; Duchesne, Luc C.; Zasada, John C. Forest communities in the third millennium: linking research, business, and policy toward a sustainable non-timber forest product sector. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-217. St. Paul, MN: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, North Central Research Station: 23-30.
Emery, Marla R.; Zasada, John. 2001. Silviculture and nontimber forest products: extending the benefits of forest management. The Timberline 10-13
Doble, Siri; Emery, Marla. 2001. The role of non timber forest products: a case study of gatherers in the eastern United States. In: Kyle, Gerard, comp., ed. 2001. Proceedings of the 2000 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-276. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. 53-57
Emery, Marla R. 2001. Who knows? Local non-timber forest product knowledge and stewardship practices in northern Michigan. journal of Sustainable Forestry 13(3/4):123-139
Emery, Marla R. 1999. Social values of specialty forest products to rural communities. In: Josiah, Scott J., ed. Proceedings of the North American Conference on Enterprise Development Through Agroforestry: Farming the Forest for Specialty Products. Minneapolis, MN. 25-32
Birdsey, Richard A.; Hom, John L.; Emery, Marla. 1996. The northern global change research program. In: Hom, John; Birdsey, Richard; O'Brian, Kelly, eds. Proceedings 1995 meeting of the northern global change program; Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-214. Radnor, PA: U. S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station: 1-6.
Emery, Marla; Paananen, Donna M. 1995. Humans, forests, and global environmental change: planning a social science research agenda. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-212. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 22 p.

Last Modified: 02/15/2012