Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
(N/A)
ANN ARBOR,MI 48109
Performing Department
Resource Ecology & Management
Non Technical Summary
The northern Lake States region contains a wide range of fire-dependent forest ecosystem types that comprise a large portion of this heavily forested landscape. Forest and grassland fires ignited by lightning strikes and by American Indians were a part of the fabric of the pre-colonial landscape and contributed significantly to shaping the structure and composition of northern Lake States forests. Forest ecosystems in the region have been altered dramatically over the last two centuries, partially through suppression of forest fires. Forest fire suppression has changed the age structure and species composition of vegetation, reduced biotic diversity and contributed to species endangerment. Today, forest managers are reintroducing prescribed burning into fire dependent ecosystems. However, the accumulation of forest fuels has complicated fire management efforts and created significant challenges for land managers who are interested reintroducing fire. Such is the case on the Hiawatha National Forest (NF) in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, where resource managers would be burning more extensively if it were not for hazardous accumulations of forest fuels, funding limitations and difficulties retaining trained fire crew members. Fire-dependent forests, wetlands and grassland are among the most important types of natural areas to citizens from the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians (AKA "Sault Tribe"). Because the Sault Tribe owns very little land (approximately 3300 acres), their citizens use the Hiawatha NF extensively for harvesting fish, game and plants for food, medicinal and material purposes. Representatives from the Hiawatha NF are working with tribes to establish memoranda of understanding regarding USFS-tribal relations and tribal citizen resource harvests on national forestlands. However, processes for soliciting and incorporating tribal input into federal lands management are not well established or understood. Representatives from the Hiawatha NF are eager to increase collaboration with area tribes, but require assistance in establishing processes for integrating tribal priorities and perspectives into federal forestland management. Our project will establish processes for gathering tribal citizen input on federal land management, integrating that input into USFS planning activities and assessing the socio-ecological implications of factoring tribal perspectives/priorities into federal land management. Primary objectives of the project include establishing preliminary findings and refining research concepts to secure future support for more comprehensively addressing our set of interrelated research questions. We also aim to forge a partnership that can lead to successful and sustained fire management efforts on the Hiawatha NF.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Objective 1: Test investigator ideas about how to gather tribal citizen input on federal land management, how to integrate that input into USFS planning activities and how to assess the socio-ecological implications of factoring tribal perspectives/priorities into federal land management. Objective 2: Forge a partnership that includes federal, tribal and other relevant parties to bolster and sustained fire management efforts on the Hiawatha National Forest. Objective 3: Establish preliminary findings and refine research concepts to secure future support for more comprehensively addressing our set of interrelated research questions which include: Q1) What are the most effective ways to incorporate knowledge and priorities held by tribal citizens and staff into federal land management decision making Q2) How does the inclusion of tribal values, traditional ecological knowledge, and traditional fire management practices change Forest Service land management prescriptions Q3) What impact does the inclusion of these values and information have on the ecosystems and human communities in the Eastern UP Q4) How does relative access to resources affect the development and maintenance of TEK
Project Methods
To address Q1, we will use in-depth, semi-structured interviews with tribal citizens followed by facilitated dialogue between federal, tribal and university representatives. We will aim to identify 3-4 individuals from each of five different Sault Tribe population centers, or a total of approximately 20 interview participants. Interviews will include questions about the following underlying concepts: 1) natural resource activities and utilization of the Hiawatha National Forest; 2) local terrestrial ecosystem types and species that may benefit from periodic burning; 3) specific locations that could benefit from re-introduction of fire; 4) traditional Ojibwe fire management practices including temporal/spatial characteristics and ecological indicators triggering management actions; and 5) traditional values that inform tribal perspectives and use of forest ecosystems. Interviews will be recorded in digital audio. Participants will be asked to identify specific locations for future prescribed burning activities by showing us these sites in person or highlighting the land areas of interest on printed topographical maps. Participant responses will be analyzed using NVivo qualitative data software. Tribal priorities for prescribed burning will be estimated based on recurring themes from interviews, including specific geographical locations as well as non-spatially explicit lists of priority species and ecosystem types. Locations will be mapped using ArcGIS geospatial analysis software. Q2 will be explored by comparing 1) status quo (i.e., documented past and planned future) USFS management activities on the Hiawatha NF, 2) the management prescriptions suggested by tribal citizens documented through exploration of Q1 and 3) an integrated set of management prescriptions developed through tribal-federal discourse. An interactive workshop for project collaborators, key tribal contacts and pertinent USFS staff will be organized to discuss the results of our survey of tribal priorities (Q1). The discussion and exchange of ideas at this workshop will result in a list of prioritized forest ecosystem types and mapped forest units for the re-introduction of prescribed burning that account for both federal and tribal interests. The research partnership will leverage anticipated preliminary findings to secure funding for research aimed at more thoroughly addressing Q1 and Q2 and beginning substantive work on Q 3&4. During the proposed project, refined research questions, site locations, response variables (i.e., important indicators) and methods will be established for future field experiments. To establish a basis for addressing Q4 we will identify one or more additional tribes from the region that own forestlands and maintain elements of their traditional fire management practices. In future research with these communities, our interview protocol will be replicated and results will be compared to those from the Sault Tribe. Besides identifying and visiting these additional study locations, we will develop a conceptual framework appropriate for addressing Q4.