Title |
Plants as highly diverse sources of construction wood, handicrafts and fibre in the Heihe valley (Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China): the importance of minor forest products
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Published in |
Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, June 2017
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DOI | 10.1186/s13002-017-0165-8 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Jin Kang, Yongxiang Kang, Jing Feng, Mengying Liu, Xiaolian Ji, Dengwu Li, Kinga Stawarczyk, Łukasz Łuczaj |
Abstract |
Chinese rural communities living among species-rich forests have little documentation on species used to make handicrafts and construction materials originating from the surrounding vegetation. Our research aimed at recording minor wood uses in the Heihe valley in the Qinling mountains. We carried out 37 semi-structured interviews in seven villages. We documented the use of 84 species of plants. All local large canopy trees are used for some purpose. Smaller trees and shrubs which are particularly hard are selectively cut. The bark of a few species was used to make shoes, hats, steamers and ropes, but this tradition is nearly gone. A few species, mainly bamboo, are used for basket making, and year-old willow branches are used for brushing off the chaff during wheat winnowing. The traditional use of wood materials documented suggests that some rare and endangered tree species may have been selectively cut due to their valuable wood, e.g. Fraxinus mandshurica and Taxus wallichiana var. chinensis. Some other rare species, e.g. Dipteronia sinensis, are little used and little valued. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 35 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 31% |
Researcher | 4 | 11% |
Other | 3 | 9% |
Student > Bachelor | 3 | 9% |
Professor | 3 | 9% |
Other | 6 | 17% |
Unknown | 5 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 14 | 40% |
Social Sciences | 4 | 11% |
Environmental Science | 4 | 11% |
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 1 | 3% |
Mathematics | 1 | 3% |
Other | 6 | 17% |
Unknown | 5 | 14% |