Abstract Pine nut is a gourmet non-timber forest product with a $100 million U.S. market. Pine nuts are harvested in natural stands and plantations in many regions of the world. In the U.S., however, the commercial importance of this product is underestimated. As a result, natural stands of pine nut producing pinyon pines in the U.S. are not specifically managed for pine nut production. Concurrently, over 80% of pine nuts consumed in the U.S. are imported. With the fast growing domestic demand in Russia, largest producer of pine nut consumed in the U.S., and the extensive destruction through logging of pine nut producing forests of Siberia and the Russian Far East, the U.S. may no longer rely on imports to meet local demand. The world wide scarcity of pine nut supply calls for a re-evaluation of the economic and ecological significance of pinyon pine forests and for considering growing pine nut producing pines in horticultural / agroforestry / forestry settings.
Pine nuts - edible seeds of certain pine species - harvested for food even prior to the time of ancient Rome and Greece, have been a staple in the diet of several Native American tribes in North America and indigenous peoples of Siberia and the Russian Far East. Today pine nut continues to be harvested in many regions of the Northern hemisphere and is marketed on domestic and international markets as a gourmet product.
