Traditional Ecological Knowledge Helps Researchers Understand the Effects of Plant Harvesting
It is becoming increasingly important for Native American tribes to communicate the sustainability of their wild plant harvesting methods. While conventional wisdom suggests that harvesting wild plants can often be detrimental to populations, researchers are working with Wabanaki sweetgrass gatherers to explore how traditional harvesting techniques can enhance, rather than diminish, plant populations.
Culturally significant plants provide food, medicine, craft material,
and spiritual connection for Native American communities. Understanding how
traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) can contribute to the sustainability of
plant harvesting is important for conservation and management decisions.
Sweetgrass, native to wet habitats in northern North America, is esteemed by
Wabanaki tribes (Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot) of Maine for
basket making and spiritual purposes. In collaboration with Wabanaki gatherers,
scientists from the University of Maine, and Acadia National Park, an Eastern
Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center scientist is a Principal
Investigator on a project that will help guide sustainable harvests based on
tribal-led research and observations from test plots in the park. Experimental
harvest results demonstrate a significant increase in sweetgrass stems after
harvesting. Unharvested control plots did not demonstrate significant
increases, reinforcing Wabanaki TEK that correct harvest techniques enhance
sweetgrass populations. This research will contribute to an environmental
assessment that will support Wabanaki peoples’ requests to gather plants within
Acadia National Park boundaries, pending a new agreement to ensure the
sustainability of the resource. This type of work is increasingly important as
the USDA Forest Service is committed to conducting research with
federally-recognized tribes that incorporates TEK and focuses on issues
important to Native communities.
Pictured: A Wabanaki gatherer harvests sweetgrass from an experimental plot in Acadia National Park. Photo by Michelle Baumflek, USDA Forest Service.
External Partners/Collaborators: Houlton
Band of Maliseet Indians, University of Maine, Acadia National Park
Contact: Michelle Baumflek, Research Biologist, michelle.baumflek@usda.gov
