Tribes Share Traditional Knowledge to Inform Forest Management Planning
Center research biologist Michelle Baumflek combines social, environmental, and biological sciences to address complex management questions. Her work with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is one such example: she studies ramp (wild onion) populations, experimentally comparing traditional harvest techniques to conventional and commercial practices. “We want to bring together indigenous knowledge and scientific evidence to better inform conservation on a landscape level,” she explains in an article published in the Carolina Public Press. Information on the sustainable management of ramps could be incorporated into the revised management plan for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, a draft of which should be released in 2018. Eleven federally recognized tribes, including the EBCI, are participating in the development of the new management plan by contributing their perspectives on access to forest resources and sustainability of culturally important species. Read more in the Carolina Public Press article…
