As the air cools down, signalling the arrival of autumn, BC’s coastline is covered by a majestic show of foliage. Wandering under the canopy of dark red maple trees and golden oaks glimmering in the sunlight, you may think these wonders are created by nothing but nature — but you would be wrong.
For millennia, Indigenous communities have maintained forest gardens, a type of historically managed ecosystem, along the Pacific Northwest coast.
Forest gardens typically include perennial fruit, nut trees and shrub species, with swaths of land offering abundant resources for surrounding fauna and Indigenous communities.
“We're fortunate [to have] these biologically diverse ecosystems that we're finding out were really managed,” said Dr. Morgan Ritchie, a postdoctoral researcher and anthropological archaeologist at SFU specializing in Indigenous history, culture and landscape use in the Salish Sea and Northwest Coast.
History of forest gardens
A study Ritchie co-authored illustrates how long before European colonization, Indigenous Peoples shaped natural landscapes and managed plant species by controlled burning, fertilizing and weeding.
Recounting his first work with Indigenous communities on the Salish Coast years ago, Ritchie initially thought the vast lands were completely natural.
“As I started doing more archeological work and learning a little bit more about ecology, I realized that there was a cultural landscape because people changed all the soils … built up the landscape… changed the soil chemistry and nutrient load.”
“So [when] you look at a landscape, and it looks natural, what I've learned is it's probably been modified by Indigenous People in a way that's beneficial,” said Ritchie.
Encouraging nutrient recycling
According to Dr. Jean-Thomas 'JT' Cornelis, an associate professor of applied biology (soil science) at UBC, forest gardens contain elements that improve ecosystem resilience thanks to their biological cycle, which optimizes nutrient recycling.
“Because of the controlled burning, [Indigenous Peoples] have been able to create this black-ish topsoil that's the best type of soil … to use in your garden,” said Cornelis. “By maintaining this carbon in the topsoil, [there is] improvement of the soil properties, to maintain the nutrients in the soil-plant system.”
Cornelis also highlighted some examples from the forest gardens he investigated in the territories of the Kitselas and Sts’ailes Nations in BC, where nutrients get recycled between local rivers and forest gardens. The input of fish bones into the soil act as fertilizer and contribute to a carbon and nutrient-rich environment.
Championing sustainability
As Western agriculture practices have caused considerable loss in biodiversity and resilience in ecosystems, examining Indigenous practices in forest gardens can provide valuable insights into current methods.
In addition to controlled burnings, other traditional management practices include biodegrading leaf matter and planting complementary species like crab apples and hazelnuts to facilitate nutrient exchange through soil.
“When you have a very multifunctional and diverse system like a forest garden with berries, rice roots, hazelnuts, crab apple, you have plenty of different root systems and [and] types of molecules that are executed by the roots, so the microbial community is way more diverse,” said Cornelis.
Increasing microbial biodiversity in soil has been proven to enhance soil nutrient cycling as well as improve plant access to nutrients, leading to more bountiful gardens.
By facilitating nutrient recycling through these practices, Indigenous communities reinforce sustainability in forest gardens, as there is no eutrophication — a process where a body of water becomes overly filled with nutrients and depleted of oxygen — or contamination of local bodies of water with phosphorus and nitrogen like some modern fertilizers cause.
Upholding Indigenous values
Some challenges face the future of maintaining food forests, such as Indigenous land ownership. Since Indigenous communities have never ceded their traditional and ancestral territories throughout history, they still can have some impact on shaping these landscapes. But not owning the land presents limitations.
Ritchie also mentioned issues with convincing forest managers of the benefits of learning from Indigenous knowledge, as priorities would have to shift from maintaining the logging industry — a major contributor to BC’s economy — to regenerating ecosystems.
“To understand how these systems work [and] how they might be beneficial to the people of the land and to the animals and to the health of the ecosystem … you have to talk with the people of the land: the Indigenous people” said Ritchie.
Similarly, Cornelis emphasized the importance of building a trustful relationship with Indigenous communities as researchers are working on their unceded territories.
“We're gonna take our backpack and … go into the communities and the forest system … hanging out over there, discussing, exchanging … That’s a challenge but also a very nice opportunity to learn.”
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