Using Fire in Support of Traditional Foods: Mt. Huckleberry Case Study

Transcription

1 Using Fire in Support of Traditional Foods: Mt. Huckleberry Case Study LIBBY NELSON, SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ANALYST, TREATY RIGHTS OFFICE, TULALIP TRIBES, ROSS FENTON, FORESTER AND PROJECT MANAGER, TULALIP TRIBES, AND HOLLY ZOX, BOTANIST, CONSULTANT WEST SIDE FIRE WORKSHOP, DEC. 3, 2018

2 On this side of the stream [Skagit River] we found the whole forest burned by late fires, ignited by persons lately encamped here. Smoke was still arising in all directions from numerous footlogs and trees etc. Fires are very frequent during the summer season in these Mountain forests and are often ignited purposely by some of the Indians hunting in these Mountain regions, to clear the woods from underbrush & make travel easier. Once ignited, they generally burn the whole summer, and only the drenching rains of the fall are able to check their further spread. (Custer 1866:20).

3 Some Background. In 2007, Tulalip, a treaty tribe, and the US Forest Service, signed a government-to-government agreement (MOA) to serve as basis for improved communication and partnering in stewardship. One concern voiced by tribes: mountain huckleberries, important cultural resource, seemed to be dwindling, and access to berry fields, particularly for elders was becoming increasingly difficult Traditional foods, like huckleberry, important for health reasons and as means to sustain tribal culture and connection to ancestral mountain homelands. Public lands like the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest play an important role in providing these foods, though areas limited.

4 For thousands of years, Tulalip s ancestors used fire and other means to promote a diversity of plants and animals, and to maintain the open conditions that favor huckleberries. In contrast, the Forest Service has for decades suppressed fire. Decreasing logging (as an alternative form of disturbance) and Late Successional Reserves designated under the Northwest Forest Plan has also lead to a decline in meadow habitat.

5 In responding to Tulalip s treaty/cultural needs, MBS District Ranger suggested a remote, but road-accessible high elevation area (5000 ) in the Skykomish watershed for huckleberries. This area, now referred to as swədaʔxǎli, a Coast Salish Lushootseed word for Place of Mountain Huckleberries, was formerly owned by Weyerhaeuser and logged heavily in 1980s; today significant portions of the area are open shrub communities, dominated by huckleberry. In 2011, the 1,280 acre area was formally designated, under our MOA, as the swədaʔxǎli Co-Stewardship Area -- where Tribes and USFS work together to manage the area.

6 Primary goals in co-stewardship: maintain existing huckleberry, enhance other areas for huckleberry and other important cultural plants and medicines, and for wildlife, and wildlife forage. 10 year (adaptive) management plan: Developed by Tulalip, with assistance from USFS staff, and others with expertise in huckleberry biology and conservation. Three years into implementation of our plan: focus so far centered on extending the productive life of a large existing huckleberry-dominated meadow, but threatened by dense number of emergent conifers.

7 Our Approach: a mix of western science and traditional ways native people managed huckleberry including: pruning, manually removing competing vegetation, selective thinning, and fire. Historical records show tribes kept huckleberry stands healthy and plentiful by setting fires; this practice was discouraged by non-indians who began settling on these lands in the mid to late 1800s, and fire suppression became government policy.

8 This is God s Country. Don t set it on fire and make it look Like Hell. (Stevens Pass, 1925)

9 East side of the Cascades: Colville, Yakama and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest have all, for several years, been using fire to increase productivity of huckleberry. On the west side, archaeological and oral history documents use of fire, but specific details about traditional burning are less well documented and understood. Experimentation with prescribed burning techniques: While our 10 year plan calls for using fire to sustain and enhance treaty resources, we have learned that burning on public lands today can get complicated.

10 ROSS FENTON --- TULALIP TRIBES FORESTRY PROGRAM TULALIP FIELD PROJECT LEAD

11 Fire as a tool Indigenous use of fire for vegetation management well documented. East Coast >>> Great Plains >>> West Coast. Cascade region = Natives managed mountain huckleberries. Centuries ago, forest composition was very different. Today, fire suppression policies have created large scale, overstocked timber stands throughout the West.

12 Huckleberry enhancement: Tulalip Forestry Recently completed our 5 th season of successfull fieldwork. Sites: Federal lands within Stillaguamish & Skykomish watersheds. Fieldwork is guided by a ten year Co-stewardship agreement and Yearly Implementation Plan (YIP). YIP is a dynamic document; fieldwork changes are made in direct response to local environmental conditions.

13 Current project area: Sswedafzali Slope gradients: 8% to 65% Primarily West facing aspect Subalpine, true fir tree species dominant. Tree age: 5 to 38 years; Heights: 2 to 20 feet Diameter (at base) = 2 to 12 inches Dog hair High density of trees per acre (TPA)

14 Huckleberry enhancement: Field Techniques Prescriptive broadcast burning not yet an option. Mechanical means to accomplish objectives (i.e. Chainsaws, weedeaters, chipper, hand tools) Labor & re$ource intensive. One challenge: Industrial Fire Precautionary Levels (IFPL) Ambient conditions dictate power tool usage.

15 Removal methods: Competing vegetation 8 to 12 workers daily (2 weeks) Power tools most effective means 2 to 3 person teams felling/stacking/skidding (EarthCorps, 2017) Low gradients: Tarps skid debris to roadside (chip & mulch) Steep slopes: Pile material for burning Pile dimensions: 10 wide x 10 tall avg. Burning debris has proven more efficient than chipping.

16 Accomplishments to date: Sswedafzali Seasons 1-3 Approximately 10 acres treated 2.5 acres of removed material was chipped and spread. (in Fall, ) USFS fire crew burned ~2.5 acres of removed material from (in October, 2018) 5 acres material was removed in Fall, Planned to burn in Fall, 2019 (USFS fire crew) Remaining trees per acre = ~80 to 100 (dominant trees)

17 Additional details: Remote area: Food, water, shelter, first-aid, communications Multiple safety protocols & logistical considerations. If Then Multi-agency coordination. U.S. Forest Service Burn Plan requirements. [Q:] Will a USFS fire team be available? Industrial Fire Precautionary Levels (IFPL) timing key to more acreage.

18 Burn phase (October, 2018)

19 October, 2018

20 October, 2018

21 October, 2018

22 The final result!

23 Huckleberry Management Monitoring: Assessing Effectiveness Permanent Monitoring Plots % cover trees, shrubs, big huckleberry, Cascade blueberry Treatment notes Huckleberry condition class Stand condition class Huckleberry yield 1/20 Acre

24 Permanent Plots Monitoring Burn Pile Before and after burning

25 Thank-you to all parties involved! EarthCorps (2017 & 2018 season) Tulalip Cultural & Natural Resources staff U.S. Forest Service staff Volunteers, consultants, interns, seasonal employees, Tulalip Youth programs