Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax) and California Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta var. californica)are two Nontimber Forest Products (NTFPs) harvested by American Indians for basket weaving in the Pacific Northwest. Good quality leaves and stems for basket weaving are reliant on the periodic burning of these plant species. In this webinar the presenters will discuss how fire and other ecological variables affect the growth and quality of these species, the collaborative management of these plants by American Indians and public agencies, and what implications our findings have for the future management of these resources.
Presenters: Georgia Fredeluces (Hart) is a Joint Fire Science Program Graduate Research Innovation (GRIN) recipient and an ethnoecologist and population biologist who investigates the relationship between people and plants. Her PhD work at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa focuses on bear grass, a perennial forest understory herb in the Pacific Northwest. Tony Marks-Block is a Joint Fire Science Program GRIN recipient and a PhD candidate at Stanford University who collaborates with Yurok and Karuk Tribal members in the Klamath Mountains of Northwest California on prescribed fire and indigenous resource management.