Forest bryophytes (mosses and liverworts, hereafter, "moss") are a nontimber forest product whose commercial importance is increasing. However, little is known about how much harvest is legally permitted, how much is actually being harvested, how harvest rates compare to reaccumulation rates, and whether species of concern are harvested. In addition, while the importance of moss in forest ecosystems is widely acknowledged, no studies have addressed whether commercial harvest has an impact on any of these ecosystem functions. Informed management of this resource depends on answers to these questions. We focused on moss harvest in the Pacific Northwestern (PNW) and Appalachian regions of the US, surveying land managers, botanists, and moss dealers for information and opinions on moss harvest issues. We also purchased moss from a variety of outlets, and sent the material to bryologists for species identifications. Approximately 48% of 372 land managers, 51% of 88 botanists, and only 21% of 105 businesses responded to surveys. Thirty five percent of land manager respondents indicated that they had received requests to harvest moss commercially from their lands within the past 5 yrs, and these reported that permits were issued for 87,740 kg (air dried) of moss in 2002. More harvest permits were issued for lands in the PNW than in the Appalachians, and reported harvest quantities were also larger for PNW lands than for Appalachian lands. Reported harvest quantities are conservative estimates of total harvest for several reasons. (1) Some land managers allow harvesting without permits or allow unlimited harvest under a permit. (2) Some land managers do not maintain records on numbers of permits granted or quantities of harvest allowed. (3) Many land managers indicated that illegal harvesting is widespread and probably accounts for more harvest than is legally permitted. (4) Our sample of land managers was incomplete, in part because many did not respond to surveys. Estimates based on export data suggest that the value of moss exports from the U.S. over the past 6 yrs has ranged between U.S. $ 16.5 million and 1.1 million. These dollar values convert to an estimated 0.17 to 3.7 million kg (air dried) per yr of moss exports. Least well resolved were domestic sales quantities, as most dealers would not divulge sales information. We estimated total domestic sales quantities conservatively, based on export data, ratios of domestic to international sales provided by moss dealers and other assumptions; the resulting estimate for domestic sales was between 0.7 million and 33.7 million kg (air dried) per yr over the past 6 yrs. The sum of estimated total domestic and export sales quantities gave yearly totals between ~0.87 million and 37.4 million kg (air dried) kg per yr over the past 6 yrs, quantities that are orders of magnitude greater than reported permitted harvests. Approximately 64 % of botanist respondents believed that current harvest volumes are of concern, but only 16 % of land manager respondents believed that harvest regulations are not sufficiently protective of the resource. Most of the moss samples that we purchased were comprised primarily of three to seven species, however many "incidental" species were also included. The 34 samples from the PNW contained a total of 34 moss and liverwort taxa, while a total of 28 moss and liverwort taxa were found in the 20 samples of Appalachian material. The most prevalent species in PNW material included Antitrichia curtipendula, Eurhyncium oreganum, Isothecium myosuroides/spiculiferum, Porella navicularis and Rhytidiadelphus loreus, while the most prevalent species in Appalachian material included Dicranum scoparium, Hypnum curvifolium, H. fertile, H. imponens, H. cupressiforme, and Thuidium delicatulum. No species of special concern were found in either the PNW or Appalachian material, however species composition of harvested material should be monitored over time, as sensitive species may be included in some harvests.
Recommendations that could enhance sustainable management of the moss harvest industry are provided, and include the following: