Morice Land and Resource Management Plan
Download 1.06 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Recommendations to the LRMP Table
- Development of Willow Furniture Businesses
- Opportunity Analysis
- Location Analysis
- Shipping
- Production Analysis
ConclusionThe botanical product business within the Morice TSA must be well planned and researched for costs, regulatory requirements and market potential. The species that are commercially viable are limited in number and at this writing; it is unknown what sustainable yield levels might be. What’s more, existing research examining the sustainable harvest of many of these species is limited. Despite these uncertainties it is possible that a modest industry or series of cottage industries could be developed around botanical species within the Morice TSA. Expertise in botanical product manufacture will be required as well as sophisticated packaging and marketing. Competition in the botanical product sector is high for standard products such as Echinacea and St. John’s Wort but plants growing within the Morice TSA provide the opportunity to create niche products and market them to target audiences. Due to the lack of settlement in the area, the Morice TSA may be of interest to pharmaceutical companies that conduct research and bio-prospecting to determine which plant species might provide undiscovered treatment for disease or undiscovered substances which might be valuable as natural biocides. Spin-off economic benefit could occur as a result of these investigations. Affiliations with universities and research and development companies may be of benefit. Recommendations to the LRMP TableRecommendation - The LRMP should recommend that the provincial government undertake an inventory of commercially viable botanical species within the Morice LRMP area. Recommendation - The LRMP should recommend that the provincial government undertake research that looks at possible sustainable harvest levels of commercially viable botanical species within the Morice LRMP area. Recommendation - Management direction should be developed for any identified area containing significant volumes of sustainable botanical forest products. This will mitigate any potential land-use conflicts should botanicals be identified after the LRMP process has concluded. Development of Willow Furniture BusinessesOverviewThe willow furniture industry in North America is primarily a cottage industry comprised of small one person shops, who do there own stem collecting, processing and marketing, primarily serving local markets, and operating on a part-time basis. The irregularity of the raw material and the finished product make processing necessarily labor intensive and craft oriented. The willow furniture business is a suitable niche for the communities in the Morice TSA to exploit. The sector is relatively easy to enter into, requiring only basic tools and skills; raw material (willow and alder saplings and stems) is free, relatively abundant and unregulated. As well, there is a local and external market to sell into. Shipping costs out of the area will tend to restrict export-marketing opportunities for sales of small willow product (i.e. home accessories) but a local, albeit small, market does exist for larger full-size furnishings (chairs and tables, etc.). Opportunity AnalysisA number of factors are crucial to a successful willow furniture business:
Location AnalysisSupply of Raw MaterialThere are both willow and alder stands available in fairly large quantities in the Morice TSA and harvesting of these stands is free and relatively unregulated. The location of willow stands tends to be near or in the wetland or lake systems of the areas including but not limited to:
Many of these areas can be accessed to a great extent by highway or logging road. The availability of young willow stems and saplings tends to depend on the extent of moose browsing. Where moose browsing has occurred recently, young stems and sapling tend to thrive. Alder stands tend to thrive in the eastern part of the Morice TSA (around the Houston area) in avalanche chutes. These stands are less accessible by road. There is no stumpage fee levied on harvesting either alder or willow saplings or any regulatory restrictions on small volume cuttings. Therefore, access to this resource is relatively easy. Also, willow and alder are occasionally cut during silviculture prescriptions and burned or left to rot. An opportunity may exist periodically to link collection of willow and alder saplings or stems with these silviculture activities by entering into discussions with local Licensees. Generally, small scale harvesting of willow or alder stems should not present an environmental concern in the Morice TSA. However, if the large volumes of harvests are being planned, the harvester should consult with the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection regarding potential environmental guidelines. ShippingCommercial shipping of small volume freight within the Morice TSA or within northern BC typically occurs via truck, courier or Canada Post and is expensive but no less so for anyone else shipping in the area. Canada Post is the cheapest method of shipping small parcels. Courier or truck must ship larger parcels. Alternately, it may be less expensive for producers to ship the product personally in a local market. Commercial shipping of small volume freight to larger markets south of the Morice TSA, (i.e. Vancouver or the U.S.) is also typically done by Greyhound Bus Lines, Canada Post, courier or by truck. Again, Canada Post is the cheapest method of shipping small parcels in Canada. Larger parcels and US exports are typically done by truck; however, this method can be prohibitively expensive, much more expensive than for a business closer to markets or major highways. Commercial shipping costs of larger furniture items may seriously limit what can be marketed out of the area. Production AnalysisThe production requirements for willow furniture are relatively modest. The challenge in establishing a successful willow furniture business is to control labour costs and product unique, high quality products. A heated space is required for a bench, tools and storage of raw material and finished products. As accommodation is relatively inexpensive in the Morice TSA, shop costs should also be relatively inexpensive. Tool requirements are simple including a drill, razor knife, hammer and nail punch, tape measure and clamps. Finishing of the products can be done with a paintbrush or cloth. The skills to produce simple willow furniture can be derived fairly easily from a book, a video or a one or two day workshop. Good design and quality furniture, however, are important attributes of a consumer product and this is no less true for willow furniture. To ensure that maximum value and quality can be obtained for willow furniture from Morice TSA, it may be necessary to access design or production assistance or instruction initially. The main cost of producing willow furniture is labour and therefore the profit margin is a function of using labour efficiently. Typically, this means substituting machinery for labour in the production process. However, because of the irregular nature of the raw material and finished product, mechanization has limited potential. Consequently, labour efficiency in this sector means collecting and drying stems in large batches and processing products or components of products in batches or multiples in order to reduce set up time. Download 1.06 Mb. Share with your friends:
|