From Terrace in North Central B.C. to four nearby First Nations villages, to Prince Rupert on the Pacific West Coast, and then eastward through the Rocky…
Even 150 Years Later, Lush Forest Gardens Showcase The Value of Native Stewardship
25 APRIL 2021
The way humans manage the environment doesn t have to be destructive. In the western corner of Canada, ecologists have shown forests once tended by First Nations people are healthier and more resilient – even now, 150 years after these ancient custodians were forcibly displaced by colonial settlers.
The study is among the first to compare the Indigenous gardening practices of North America with modern-day land management, and the findings are stark.
In forests touched by recent human activity, researchers found a wood dominated by conifers and hemlocks. Whereas in the forest gardens of the Ts msyen and Coast Salish peoples, the team found a diversity of native fruit and nut trees, including crabapple, hazelnut, cranberry, wild plum, and wild cherries.
Credit: SFU
A new study by Simon Fraser University historical ecologists finds that Indigenous-managed forests cared for as forest gardens contain more biologically and functionally diverse species than surrounding conifer-dominated forests and create important habitat for animals and pollinators. The findings are published today in
Ecology and Society.
According to researchers, ancient forests were once tended by Ts msyen and Coast Salish peoples living along the north and south Pacific coast. These forest gardens continue to grow at remote archaeological villages on Canada s northwest coast and are composed of native fruit and nut trees and shrubs such as crabapple, hazelnut, cranberry, wild plum, and wild cherries. Important medicinal plants and root foods like wild ginger and wild rice root grow in the understory layers.