Forests, Fire, and Culture: Silvicultral & Fire Treatments to Enhance Nontimber Forest Products

Marla R. Emery, Ph.D. USFS Northern Research Station NTFPs = Cultural resources

“not much less necessary to the existence of the Indians than the atmosphere they breathe(d).” U.S. vs. Winans (198 U.S. 371, 381; 1905)

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen Culture/Economy • Significant economic resources Broader definition of economic Economic scales • Essential cultural resources Identity Practices

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen Sensitive resources • Food Public • Artisanal & utilitarian Culture • Medicinal Sacred & Proprietary • Spiritual & ceremonial Culture

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen NTFPs @ every phase • Who • What • When • Where • Why • How (Not necessarily in that order)

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What • Species • Parts • Characteristics

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Who

Last First Contact NTFP 1 NTFP2 NTFP 3… name name Benedict Mike XXX-XXXX Black ash Sweetgrass Birch bark

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen Where • Your expertise & observations • Traditional ecological knowledge • Scientific & amateur literature • Amazing what’s on the internet!

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen When • Annually • Stand development & management phase

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen Annually

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Basswood bark Birch bark Blueberries Boughs Cedar greens Fiddleheads Goldthread Morels Princess Pine Red willow bark Sketaugen Stage of Stand Development Other plant products Products from trees

Small stems/branches/bark--decorative, Regeneration Regeneration furniture --Clearcut/ Berries; Weeding Residuals Cleaning --Shelterwood hazel Small stems--decorative, furniture --Site prep. nuts Sapling Bark--decorative, chemicals Stand comp. Wood--?? Precommercial --birch thinning Dominated Stems--decorative/furniture; Bark-- --mixed Balsam boughs; Pole Decorative/basketry/chemicals; Sap- Hardwoods Hazel nuts food uses; Wood--chips/carving stock Thinning --birch/conifer Club moss Medicinal plants Fungi/mushrooms Small Wood--lumber/chips/carving stock; Bark-- sawlog Basketry/chemicals; Sap--food uses

Thinning Wood--lumber/chips/veneer/carving stock; Large Bark--canoes/basketry/chemicals; Sap--food sawlog uses; Branches--decorative; Character wood-- Burls/spalted wood

Final harvest Figure 9. Conceptual model showing potential birch products at different stages of stand Tops--decorative/rustic furniture; Bark-- Development. Residual Decorative/basketry; Sap (from stumps)--food materials uses; Roots--decorative/basketry How • Salvage What’s on the site? When should it be harvested? Who uses it? How do you let them know? “No birch tree should leave the forest unpeeled.” John Zasada

Safe-title box: anything outside of this box may be cut off on the screen How • Proactive management (short list) Your expertise Traditional ecological knowledge Literature Experimentation

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Figure by M. Kat Anderson Also, Don Hankins’ work

Guess who?

Thank You!

[email protected] 802-656-1720

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