Tribal nations, Forest Service partner to revive oak tree population
by Melissa | Nov 20, 2020 | Government
Tribal nations, Forest Service partner to revive oak tree population
Collaborations focus on traditional foods, fire history
by Shannon Mullane | The Journal
Partners involved in the Emory Oak Collaborative Tribal Restoration Initiative visited oak stands in 2019. The Yavapai Apache Nation requested the U.S. Forest Service and other partners evaluate the health of the species in Arizona after seeing a decline in the health of oak stands. The initiative was announced Nov. 2 at the start of National Native American Heritage Month./Tonto National Forest
A project to restore the most important traditional food for the Yavapai Apache Nation sprang to life this month.
In Arizona, an intergovernmental, public-private partnership aims to revive the Emory oak, whose acorns play a prominent role in the tribe’s culture.
The nation’s tribal elders put the collaborative effort into motion, drawing on resources from the U.S. Forest Service and others, to rehabilitate Emory oak stands in Arizona’s Tonto and Coconino national forests. It’s the kind of collaborative that the Forest Service says can happen anywhere, including Southwest Colorado.
“It is important that the Forest Service build, strengthen and uphold nation-to-nation relationships that sustain tribal sovereignty and help meet the agency’s trust responsibility and treaty obligations,” said Michelle Stevens, Heritage Program lead with the San Juan National Forest.
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