Peck, J.E. 1990. The harvest of moss: an industrial perspective. Research Report, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Linfield College, McMinnville.
This
10 page report summarizes an undergraduate semester project on the harvestable
moss industry in northwestern Oregon. The 40+ year history of commercial
harvest in this region is briefly described by way of introduction. A
total of 23 individuals--harvesters, processors, wholesalers, and retailers who
deal in moss--were contacted by phone or in person and interviewed using a
standard questionnaire aimed at elucidating harvest practices, prices and
quantities, and attitudes toward harvest regulations on public
lands. At the time a price of $0.35-$0.40/lb was typical for
air-dried moss; this price was very stable over time and did not seem to vary
much as the market expanded with time to include moss of lesser quality.
Most transactions were conducted under the table, many of the harvesters could
be characterized as on the "fringe" of society, and harvesters and
processors alike expressed a deep-seated mistrust of any form of governmental
regulation. Wholesalers and retailers, more distant from the regulation,
did not express this view, and generally considered moss to be an unimportant
product. Estimates at the time indicated that upwards of 35,000 bushels of
moss were sold out of state each year, indicating a potentially billion-dollar
industry.