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Growth and reproduction of black bears (Ursus americanus) have been linked to food availability, particularly berries and nuts. However, quantitative data on availability of fruits in different habitats are lacking. Fruit production is highly variable and precise measurements such as berry counts are very time consuming. We used visual ratings in conjuction with systematic sampling to characterize the areal coverage and productivity of 22 species of herbs and shrubs that produce food for bears in 11 common forest types in northcentral Minnesota. We made sample counts of berries and nuts to relate visual ratings to fruit biomass. Abundance of fruit-producing species was highest in regenerating (5-15-year-old) aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands, but total fruit production was highest in 8-20-year-old red pine (Pinus resinosa) plantations that contained interspersed openings of windrowed slash. Fruit yields were poorest under dense (>80% closed) canopies and in lowland forest types, but lowlands provided a different array of species from uplands. Subjective ratings were less precise than actual berry counts but could be conducted more quickly, and they were accurate enough to distinguish important differences among stands. Because many stands could be surveyed during the short berry season, the technique enabled us to compare fruit yields across years and among different forest types, ages and canopy densities.