United States Department of Agriculture

Forest Service Research and Development

Tribal Engagement Roadmap

Forest Service FS-1043 March 2015
Forest Service Research and Development

Tribal Engagement Roadmap

Photo credit: Forest Service

The Forest Service Research and Development Tribal Engagement Roadmap

The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), is dedicated to the principle of multiple-use 

management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. The 

agency strives to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation through forestry research, management of the 

national forests and national grasslands, and cooperation with tribal governments, States, and private forest owners.

Acknowledgments: The authors thank the Intertribal Timber Council’s research subcommittee, especially Adrian Leighton, 

for input and advice on this document.

Editors: Christopher Farley, Tania Ellersick, and Chalonda Jasper

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

1400 Independence Ave., SW

Washington, DC 20250–0003

Forest Service FS-1043 March 2015
iii Forest Service Research and Development 

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Federal Trust Responsibility ........................................................................................................................ 2

Tribal Sovereignty ......................................................................................................................................... 3

Understanding and Solving Natural Resource Challenges With Traditional Ecological 

Knowledge .............................................................................................................................................. 4

The Tribal Engagement Roadmap and Its Connection to the Tribal Relations Program and 

the Tribal Relations Strategic Plan ..................................................................................................... 6

Forest Service Tribal Relations Strategic Plan................................................................................. 8

Tribal Relations Strategic Goal 1—American Indian and Alaska Native Rights............. 8

Tribal Relations Strategic Goal 2—Partnerships..................................................................... 9

Tribal Relations Strategic Goal 3—Program Development.................................................. 9

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions ....................................................................... 10

Objective 1: Build New and Enhance Existing Partnerships With Tribes, Indigenous 

and Native Groups, Tribal Colleges, Tribal Communities, and Intertribal 

Organizations .............................................................................................................................. 11

Building Nursery Partnerships for Culturally Important Native Species ......................... 12

Partnering for Climate Change................................................................................................ 12

The Center for First American Forestlands ............................................................................ 13

Objective 2: Institutionalize Trust Responsibilities and Tribal Engagement Within 

Forest Service R&D ..................................................................................................................... 14

Consulting on Experimental Forests and Ranges—The Naming of Héen Latinee 

Experimental Forest, Juneau, AK...................................................................................... 15

Objective 3: Increase and Advance Tribal and Indigenous Values, Knowledge, 

and Perspectives Within Forest Service R&D, Including Both Operational and 

Research Activities..................................................................................................................... 16

Incorporating American Indian Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Values 

Into Fire Management ........................................................................................................ 16

Objective 4: Network and Coordinate Within R&D and Across Deputy Areas To 

Increase Agency and R&D Program Efficacy ....................................................................... 18

Coordinating Around Climate Change and Tribal Research Needs............................... 19

Objective 5: Advance Research on Topics of Joint Interest Through a Collaborative 

and Participatory Approach With Tribes and Tribal Organizations............................. 20

Informing Restoration Activities................................................................................................ 20

Collaborating on Wildland Fire................................................................................................ 20

Encouraging the Use of Traditional Ecological Knowledge Internationally................... 21

Facilitating Dialog With Indigenous Groups Worldwide.................................................... 22

Objective 6: Develop and Deploy Research and Technologies To Support Tribal 

Decisionmaking on Natural Resources Issues .................................................................... 22

Forest Service Science Tool Delivery to USET and ITC........................................................ 23

Exploring Means for Tribal Partners To Access Scientific Journals................................... 24

References ..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 1

Introduction

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), Forest Service is recognized 

as a leader among Federal land 

management agencies in partnering collaboratively with American Indian and Alaska Native 

governments and indigenous communities. 

The Forest Service Research and Development 

(R&D) Deputy Area recognizes that working 

with tribes and indigenous groups is vital to its 

mission to develop and deliver knowledge and 

innovative technology to improve the health 

and use of the Nation’s forests and grasslands—

both public and private. 

Roadmap) encompasses a wide range of the 

biological, physical, and social sciences. It aims 

to guide collaboration across communities and 

tribal nations to help develop ethical and significant research partnerships. Highlighting tribal 

engagement opportunities will build the Forest 

Service R&D staff commitment to the USDA’s 

government-to-government relationship and 

trust responsibilities to tribes. It will also encourage joint learning with tribes and indigenous 

groups on issues of common concern.

Salmon, acorns, and a basket—

tribally valued resources managed 

on National Forest System lands. 

Photo by Frank Lake, Forest Service.

According to 2010 Census data, the combined 

American Indian and Alaska Native population 

is 5.1 million. Within the United States, 566 federally recognized tribal nations currently exist as 

sovereign governments. In addition, numerous 

distinct indigenous groups exist, including those 

of Pacific Islanders in Hawaii, American Samoa, 

and Guam. These communities are linked to 

their local natural resources through centuries 

of locally relevant experiences and knowledge.

The Forest Service Research and Development 

Tribal Engagement Roadmap (Tribal Engagement 

Forest Service R&D recognizes the importance 

of locally relevant research to tribes, as well as 

tribal desires for meaningful research collaboration and partnerships (Beatty and Leighton 2012). 

A commitment to cross-cultural learning, transparency, and relationship building can help 

revitalize tribal communities and rural America, 

reduce poverty, and facilitate environmental 

justice. Developing research relationships with 

American Indian, Alaska Native, and other indigenous peoples is fundamental to protecting 

traditional knowledge and culture and finding 

innovative solutions to landscape-scale challenges.
2 Forest Service Research and Development 

Federal Trust Responsibility

Members of Native American Tribal Nations attended the 2012 Fourth 

Annual White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington, DC. 

Photo by Bob Nichols, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Government has a unique 

relationship with federally recognized 

American Indian governments as 

set forth in the Constitution of the United States, 

treaties, statutes, court decisions, Executive orders, 

and Presidential memoranda. These federally 

recognized tribal governments and Alaska Native 

Corporations (collectively referenced as “tribes”) 

enjoy a government-to-government relationship 

with the United States. From 1778 to 1871, the U.S. 

Government ratified approximately 400 treaties with 

Indian nations, agreeing to preserve their ability to 

exercise their sovereign rights as were reserved by 

the signatory tribes.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 3

Tribal Sovereignty

A merican Indian tribal governments 

have always retained sovereignty 

and maintained the sole right to 

self-determination. This sovereignty includes 

lawmaking and enforcement, defining territory, 

determining citizenship, regulating trade and 

property, and forming alliances with other 

nations through treaties and other agreements. 

Indian nations of North America historically 

exercised the powers of sovereign nations and 

recognized the sovereignty of one another by 

making treaties and trade agreements and by 

forming political and military alliances with 

other tribal nations.

On April 29, 1994, a Presidential memorandum 

was issued reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to operate within a government-to-government relationship with federally 

recognized American Indian and Alaska Native 

tribes and to advance self-governance for such 

tribes. The Presidential memorandum directs 

each Executive Department and agency, to 

the greatest extent practicable and to the 

extent permitted by law, to consult with tribal 

governments before taking actions that have 

substantial direct effects on federally recognized 

tribal governments. To ensure that the rights of 

sovereign tribal governments are fully respected, all such consultations are to be open and 

candid so that tribal governments may evaluate 

for themselves the potential impact of relevant 

proposals.

Issued November 6, 2000, Executive Order 13175, 

sets forth guidelines for all Federal agencies to 

(1) establish regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration with Indian tribal officials 

in the development of Federal policies that 

have tribal implications, (2) strengthen the U.S. 

government-to-government relationships with 

Indian tribes, and (3) reduce the imposition of 

unfunded mandates on Indian tribes.

Federal agencies are directed to consult with 

tribes when engaging in policymaking or 

programs that may have implications on tribal 

resources. In addition to obligations in Executive 

Order 13175, Consultation and Coordination 

With Indian Tribal Governments, consultation 

obligations are included in a number of statutes, 

including, but not limited to, the Federal Land 

Policy and Management Act.

As stated in Section 2(b) of Executive Order 13175, 

“Our Nation, under the law of the United States, 

in accordance with treaties, statutes, Executive 

Orders, and judicial decisions, has recognized 

the right of Indian tribes to self-government. 

As domestic dependent nations, Indian tribes 

exercise inherent sovereign powers over their 

members and territory. The United States continues to work with Indian tribes on a governmentto-government basis to address issues concerning 

Indian tribal self-government, tribal trust resources, 

and Indian tribal treaty and other rights.”

On December 5, 2012, the 4th Annual White 

House Tribal Nations Summit Conference 

convened in Washington, DC. The conference 

brought together the President, eight Cabinet 

members, numerous Administration officials, 

and hundreds of tribal leaders to discuss important issues facing tribal governments. A 

Memorandum of Understanding was finalized 

between several Departments (Agriculture, the 

Interior, Defense, and Energy) and the Advisory 

Council for Historic Preservation to use a more 

integrated and collaborative approach for 

land-based management. As part of the Federal 

Government and responsible for implementing 

Federal Government programs, Forest Service 

R&D has responsibility for ensuring this trust 

responsibility is redeemed.
4 Forest Service Research and Development 

Understanding and Solving Natural 

Resource Challenges With Traditional 

Ecological Knowledge
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 5

Tribes and indigenous groups have 

centuries of locally relevant experience managing natural resources. 

This traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) 

offers a great opportunity to better understand 

traditional approaches to managing the complex ecosystems Forest Service R&D is tasked 

to address. Tribal and indigenous peoples can 

share many lessons about managing resources in complex forest, mountain, and dry land 

ecosystems (World Commission on Environment 

and Development 1987).

governments have lost up to 98 percent of 

their aboriginal land base. Today, most tribal 

landscapes of cultural and ecological significance are located outside American Indian 

reservations and Federal trust lands (Petoskey 

1985). Indigenous populations throughout the 

United States are particularly vulnerable to 

climate-change impacts, confronting disproportionate risks to their culture and economies 

(Lynn et al. 2011).

Cherokee basketmaker. 

Photo by Alfie Vick, 

University of Georgia.

TEK can provide insights into how our Nation’s 

forests and grasslands respond to human interventions and changing climate conditions. TEK 

can suggest new strategies to manage these 

areas for a variety of ecological goods and 

services, social and cultural uses, and economic 

benefits. Integrating TEK with Western science 

was identified as a tribal priority in a survey 

that represented more than 30 tribal nations 

(Beatty and Leighton 2012).

Since the arrival of European colonizers and 

the formation of the United States, Indian tribal 

Tribal leaders have acknowledged that 

research is fundamental to tribal sovereignty. 

Access to data and analysis is essential to 

community planning, as well as program 

and policy development (NCAI/MSU 2012). A 

commitment to engaging diverse tribal groups 

and incorporating TEK into agency policies and 

programs will allow for the cross-cultural learning and relationship building needed to sustain 

our Nation’s ecosystems and better serve the 

citizens of our culturally diverse Nation.
The Tribal Engagement Roadmap and Its 

Connection to the Forest Service Tribal 

Relations Program and the Tribal Relations 

Strategic Plan

Black Oak Gathering. Photo by Jonathan Long, Forest Service.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 7

The Tribal Relations Program of the 

Forest Service, consisting of the 

national Office of Tribal Relations 

and regional Tribal Relations program managers, developed the 2010–2013 Tribal Relations 

Strategic Plan. This agencywide strategic plan 

is the primary document on tribal relations for 

each Forest Service deputy area. The strategic 

plan creates expected beneficial outcomes for 

the agency and for American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments and communities. 

Consistent with the Forest Service national 

strategic goals and objectives, the Tribal Relations Strategic Plan identifies specific goals, 

objectives, and actions to guide the program 

through 2013. The actions identified in the Roadmap will accomplish or advance many of these 

strategic goals.

The Roadmap supports and implements the 

goals and objectives outlined in the agencywide 

Tribal Relations Strategic Plan. By taking an 

R&D-specific look at tribal engagement, the 

Roadmap helps highlight and prioritize R&D’s 

contributions to the broader Forest Service Tribal Relations Program. This Roadmap does not 

imply any changes to agency policy or strategic 

planning, but rather serves as a path forward.

Forest Service tribal 

liasons and staff from 

the Office of Tribal 

Relations at national 

directives planning 

meeting. Photo by 

Alicia Bell-Sheeter, 

Forest Service.
8 Forest Service Research and Development 

Forest Service Tribal Relations Strategic Plan

The agencywide Tribal Relations Strategic Plan sets forth a framework for the Forest 

Service’s Tribal Relations Program, including the R&D deputy area. The following 

goals will help the agency fulfill its mission and are intended to help guide managers 

in developing Tribal Relations Program work plans at all levels of the agency.

GOAL 1 American Indian and Alaska Native Rights

Ensure the agency redeems its trust responsibility and protects American Indian and Alaska 

Native reserved rights as they pertain to Forest Service programs, projects, and policies.

Objective 1.1

Support Forest Service leaders’ understanding and application of their legal responsibilities 

for treaty rights, other reserved rights, and trust responsibilities, including obligations for 

government-to-government consultation.

Objective 1.2

Support Forest Service leaders’ engagement in substantive and meaningful consultation for 

agency policy, planning, and project decisions.

Objective 1.3

Evaluate—and modify if needed—policies in support of the agency’s trust responsibility, tribal 

reserved rights on National Forest System lands, and implementation of programs and policies 

established to benefit tribes.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 9

GOAL 2 Partnerships

Leverage partnerships to maximize mutual success.

Objective 2.1

Improve partnerships with American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments, nongovernmental organizations, intertribal organizations, education institutions, and other entities.

Objective 2.2

Increase the ability of the agency and tribes to manage for sustainability on landscapes across 

administrative boundaries.

Objective 2.3

Encourage integration of American Indian and Alaska Native traditional knowledge, wisdom, 

and practices in agency land management decisions and implementation.

Objective 2.4

Collaborate with leadership and staff in Forest Service R&D to provide technical and educational assistance, pursue joint research projects, and transfer technology to American Indian 

and Alaska Native tribal governments and communities.

GOAL 3 Program Development

Promote integration and utility of the Tribal Relations Program throughout the agency.

Objective 3.1

Improve Forest Service leadership engagement in the Tribal Relations Program.

Objective 3.2

Implement an integrated and effective Tribal Relations Program.

Objective 3.3

Increase and advance American Indians and Alaska Natives within the Forest Service workforce.
10 Forest Service Research and Development 

Tribal Engagement 

Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Photo credit: Forest Service
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 11

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

I

n support of the agencywide tribal relations goals and objectives previously 

outlined, the Tibal Engagement Roadmap 

defines six R&D-specific objectives and associated actions. Accompanying each objective 

are examples of actions that R&D has already 

undertaken and that will serve as models for 

advancing similar work. Taken as whole, the 

breadth of Forest Service R&D engagement with 

tribes should provide tribal and Forest Service 

leaders and staff access to the best available science and other appropriate knowledge to sustain 

the health and productivity of our Nation’s forests 

and grasslands for this and future generations.

The 2006 Cultural 

Plant Propagation 

Center Grand Opening, Moencopi Day 

School, Tuba City, AZ. 

Photo by Jeremiah R. 

Pinto, Forest Service.

Objective 1 Build new and enhance existing partnerships with tribes, indigenous 

and native groups, tribal colleges, tribal communities, and 

intertribal organizations

•	 Build and enhance direct government-to-government partnerships with federally recognized 

tribes, including consultation on activities as appropriate.

•	 Build new, and enhance existing, relationships with key intertribal organizations.

•	 Engage with tribal faculty members and tribal colleges.

•	 Build capacity with tribes and tribal institutions to enhance ability to engage in research 

partnerships.

•	 Enhance communication with tribes and other indigenous communities on research results 

that are relevant for their needs and use forms and forums that are culturally appropriate 

and effective.
12 Forest Service Research and Development 

Foresters from Menominee Tribal Enterprises and Menominee tribal members show 

examples of hardwood and white pine management occurring on the Menominee 

Indian Reservation at the Intertribal Timber Council 37th Annual Timber Symposium. The Menominee tribal forest in Wisconsin stands as a practical example of 

sustainable forestry that is ecologically viable, economically feasible, and socially 

desirable. Photo by Serra Hoagland, Forest Service.

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

•	 Where appropriate, develop research Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Memoranda 

of Agreement (MOAs) to clarify procedures and responsibilities.

•	 Conduct joint research with tribes and indigenous communities on issues of mutual interest, 

including TEK.

Building Nursery Partnerships for Culturally Important Native Species

For the past 12 years, Forest Service scientists from the National Reforestation, Nurseries, and 

Genetics Resources team have coordinated with nearly 80 tribes while working one-on-one 

with more than 500 tribal professionals and 750 students across the United States. This work 

benefited tribal elders who now grow their own medicinal plants.

The scope and relevance of this innovative project has been recognized by its receiving the 

2007 Intertribal Timber Council’s (ITC’s) Earle Wilcox Memorial Individual Achievement Award. 

Other awards include several Forest Service awards, such as the 2005 Southern Research 

Station Technology Transfer Award, the 2005 Director’s Partnership Award from the Southern 

Research Station, the 2006 Two Chiefs’ Partnership Award, the 2009 Technology Transfer 

Award from the Rocky Mountain Research Station, and the 2011 Tribal Relations Professional 

Excellence Award.

Partnering for Climate Change

The Forest Service R&D Pacific Northwest Research Station’s Tribal Climate Change Project, in 

collaboration with the University of Oregon Environmental Studies Program, focuses on building research-management networks and other resources for tribes related to climate change 

(http://tribalclimate.uoregon.edu). Their publications include—

•	 Tribal Climate Change Funding Guide (http://envs.uoregon.edu/tribal-climate/).

•	 A Synthesis of Literature on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Climate Change (http://

tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/files/2010/11/TEK_CC_Draft_3-13-2012.pdf).

•	 The Government-to-Government Relationship in a Changing Climate: A Review of Federal 

Consultation Policies (http://tribalclimate.uoregon.edu/files/2010/11/consultation_report_

2-22-20122.pdf).

•	 A Guide for Tribal Leaders on U.S. Climate Change Programs (http://tribalclimate.uoregon.

edu/files/2010/11/tribal_leaders_CC_guide_1-4-2012.pdf).
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 13

The Center for First Americans Forestlands

The College of Menominee Nation and Forest Service partnership is carried out through the 

Center for First Americans Forestlands (CFAF) and is enshrined in MOUs signed between 

the college and the Forest Service in 2003 and 2009. CFAF is a national leader for indigenous 

and American Indian forests, sustainable forest management, and sustainable forest products 

utilization. CFAF embodies the spirit of the land-grant tradition. CFAF is a national program 

working collaboratively with a broad stakeholder group that includes tribes; tribal colleges 

and universities; tribal organizations; students; community members; private industry; Federal, 

State, and local governments; and the broad community of interest to foster sustainability 

through forest management and forest products utilization.

CFAF projects start with the premise that sustainable forest management depends on forest 

products utilization, a vibrant forest products industry, and markets for forest products. To 

these ends, CFAF projects are locally driven but broadly applied with regional or national 

implications. CFAF also supports international indigenous forest management by fostering 

international partnerships and is based on being a leading authority on American Indian forest 

management. CFAF is an institute of American Indian excellence and a model for academia/

Federal partnerships. CFAF serves both Indian and non-Indian communities, facilitating stewardship efforts of lands and natural resources within their jurisdictions.
14 Forest Service Research and Development 

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Objective 2 Institutionalize trust responsibilities and tribal engagement within 

Forest Service R&D

•	 Include tribal considerations in Forest Service R&D directives, guidance, and policy.

•	 Consult with tribes on Forest Service R&D research agendas and programs (including designation of experimental forests and ranges).

•	 Train Forest Service R&D leadership, scientists, and staff on requirements and authorities 

related to trust responsibilities, such as—

▪ Tribal engagement

▪ Consultation

▪ Protection of TEK

▪ Federal Indian Law

▪ Intellectual property rights

•	 Develop research MOUs and MOAs with tribes to clarify procedures and responsibilities.

•	 Include and consider tribes in all lines of research of mutual interest and keep them involved 

through the entire research process. This includes collaboration in setting research priorities, 

designing and implementing projects, and analyzing/disseminating results.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 15

Pacific Northwest Research Station staff meets with Tlingit 

elders to name the Héen Latinee Experimental Forest. 

Photo by Linda Kruger, Forest Service.

Consulting on Experimental Forests and Ranges—The Naming of Héen 

Latinee Experimental Forest, Juneau, AK

In June 2008, Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists from the Juneau Forestry Sciences 

Lab and a tribal government relations specialist with the Alaska Regional Office met with 

representatives from the federally recognized tribe Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian 

Tribes of Alaska (CCTHITA) and local Alaska Native corporations. They discussed opportunities 

for tribes, Alaska Native corporations, and the Forest Service to work together on plans for a 

new experimental forest in Alaska.

Because the proposed experimental forest was located on the traditional lands of the Wooshkeetaan Tlingit, the group recommended selecting a Tlingit name to honor traditional Alaska 

Native values for stewardship of the land. Representatives from CCTHITA and Goldbelt 

Incorporated worked with Forest Service employees to coordinate and host four meetings with 

Tlingit elders to identify an appropriate name. The group put forward the name Héen Latinee, 

which means “river watcher,” to reflect the experimental forest’s focus on river systems and 

watersheds.

In a letter dated November 18, 2008, the Pacific Northwest Research Station Director Bov Eav 

endorsed the name, and on June 25, 2009, former Forest Service Chief Gail Kimbell officially 

established the Héen Latinee Experimental Forest.

The Forest Service is honored that Tlingit elders bestowed the name Héen Latinee on the new 

experimental forest. The name will encourage and remind the Forest Service and partners 

to include traditional Alaska Native land-use practices into the research conducted at Héen 

Latinee. Activities, for example, may include promoting TEK by engaging youth in research 

involving tribal elders and scientists.
16 Forest Service Research and Development 

Local high school students present their mural, 

“Conservation of Native Hawaiian Streams,” to 

the Forest, Ocean, Climate, and Us Program. Their 

mural was based on visits to project sites with Forest 

Service scientists, where they learned about native 

stream animals, stream habitat, and the threats of 

invasive plant species and climate change. 

Photo by Dennis Taniguchi. 

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Objective 3 Increase and advance tribal and indigenous values, knowledge, and 

perspectives within Forest Service R&D, including both operational 

and research activities

•	 Encourage tribal and indigenous representation in the Forest Service workforce through recruitment and outreach and programs such as Pathways and other internship opportunities.

•	 Provide professional development opportunities and technical training to increase competencies within the Forest Service workforce and in the larger tribal community.

•	 Engage tribes and indigenous communities in operational and program management 

activities.

•	 Engage with tribal and indigenous students of all ages through activities, such as—

▪ Mentoring

▪ Educational activities

•	 Partner with tribal colleges and universities to engage students and tribal faculty to share 

perspectives and increase their capacity for research engagement.

•	 Promote visiting scholar programs.

Incorporating American Indian Traditional Ecological Knowledge and 

Values Into Fire Management

The Rocky Mountain Research Station published a technical report about the effects of fire on 

cultural resources and archaeology (Ryan et. al. 2012) featuring a pathway model conceptualizing fire impacts to cultural resources. A Pacific Southwest Research Station research ecologist 

contributed to this report with presenting the concept of third-order fire effects, describing how 

fire affects tangible and intangible aspects of the human environment. As a result of the Pacific 

Southwest Research Station’s research ecologist’s work as a resource advisor with American 

Indian tribes and incident management teams on wildfires, a lessons-learned framework was 

published in a fire management journal (Lake 2011). The article describes management issues 

regarding the protection of cultural and heritage resources from undesired effects of wildland 

fires and associated management practices.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap Tribal Engagement Roadmap 17

Frank Lake (research ecologist, 

Fire and Fuels Program, Forest 

Service Pacific Research Station) 

and Bill Tripp (deputy director of 

Eco-Cultural Revitalization for the 

Karuk Tribe) on the 2008 Ukonom 

Complex in northwestern California. The excessive falling of 

culturally important oak trees 

results in damage to tribal food, 

spiritual values, and site archaeological resources. Photo by LeRoy 

Cyr, Forest Service.
18 Forest Service Research and Development 

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Evergreen huckleberries and California hazel 

(used in the making of baskets) require wildfire. 

Photo by Frank Lake, Forest Service.

Objective 4 Network and coordinate within R&D and across deputy areas to 

increase agency and R&D program efficacy

•	 Establish points of contact and positions of authority for implementing and communicating 

Forest Service R&D tribal activities.

•	 Develop a process for coordinating and sharing research activities and findings between 

and among stations.

•	 Engage with regional Tribal Relations program managers to share networks and coordinate 

activities more efficiently.

•	 Coordinate effectively across deputy areas to ensure Forest Service R&D is integrated with 

Tribal Relations Program objectives.

•	 Provide research support to other government-to-government consultations conducted by the 

agency line officers as necessary.

•	 Leverage R&D knowledge and relationships in support of tribal and agency decisionmaking 

and land management outcomes.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 19

Traditional Food—“Good” tanoak acorns dropped after a 

prescribed burn that reduces acorn insect pests. The Pacific Southwest Research Station is conducting research 

with California tribes regarding Sudden Oak Death 

impacts to forests and associated cultural use plants. 

Photo by Frank Lake, Forest Service.

Changes in phenology for cultural practices like basswood 

bark harvesting may provide 

early indicators of fine-scale 

effects of climate change. 

Photo by Natasha Duarte, International Society of Ethnobiology. 

Coordinating Around Climate Change and Tribal Research Needs

The All-Station Climate Change and Tribes project is an interstation collaboration to better 

understand tribal research needs and learn from tribal observations and experiences related 

to managing land and natural resources under changing climate conditions. The all-station 

coordinated approach to tribes and climate-change research works in partnership with tribes 

and intertribal organizations to address climate-change vulnerabilities and support sharing of 

insights in ways that are driven by tribes themselves.

The effort has identified key tribal climate-change research and information needs, shared 

research results, hosted workshops, provided training, and contributed to the National Climate 

Assessment. In addition, some research scientists participate with and serve as committee 

members of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, supporting the integration of science and 

tribal TEK with Federal Government climate-change strategies.
20 Forest Service Research and Development 

The 2013 Intertribal Nursery Council Meeting 

hosted by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. 

Photo by Jeremiah R. Pinto, Forest Service.

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Objective 5 Through a collaborative and participatory approach with tribes and 

tribal organizations, advance research on topics of joint interest, 

such as—

•	 Climate change

•	 Fire science and management

•	 Fish and wildlife

•	 Forest management

•	 Forest products and utilization

•	 Nontimber forest products

•	 Restoration

•	 Social vulnerability

•	 Sustainability

•	 TEK

•	 Water and watershed protection

Informing Restoration Activities

A two-decade-long collaborative research partnership with the White Mountain Apache Tribe 

of Arizona has resulted in the restoration of dozens of culturally and ecologically significant 

wetland and spring ecosystems on tribal lands. This partnership has enhanced capacity within 

the tribal community to assess site conditions and design and implement restoration treatments. 

The partnership received the Tribe’s National Fire Plan Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation 

and Restoration.

Collaborating on Wildland Fire

Tribal elders, Federal and tribal resource managers, and scientists convened a workshop 

on the Flathead Indian Reservation of the Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes in western 

Montana. A grant from the Joint Fire Science Program funded the workshop, which enabled 
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 21

participants to discuss the integration of tribal 

stewardship and traditional knowledge in 

wildland fire activities.

The results of this workshop were instrumental 

in the 2011 formation of the ITC research subcommittee, and 27 workshop participants coauthored an article about traditional knowledge 

and Western science and their part in the dialogue on the contemporary challenges of forest 

health and wildfire, published in the Journal of 

Forestry (Mason et al. 2012).

Encouraging the Use of Traditional 

Ecological Knowledge Internationally

Forest Service scientists are working with the 

International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) to help the global community 

engage indigenous people. Their efforts involve 

incorporating indigenous rights and TEK into 

national and international policies.

IUFRO recently published this work in a book 

that highlights traditional forest-related knowledge regarding how to sustain communities, 

ecosystems, and biocultural diversity (Parrotta 

and Trosper 2012). 
22 Forest Service Research and Development 

A Forest Service scientist presents the 

ForWarn tool to the Intertribal Timber 

Council, June 2013. Photo by Serra 

Hoagland, Forest Service.

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Forest Service scientists have also contributed expertise to U.S. State Department and U.S. 

Agency for International Development projects that assist indigenous groups in Africa, Australia, China, Latin America, and Russia.

Facilitating Dialogue With Indigenous Groups Worldwide

The Forest Service and the Menominee Sustainable Development Institute organize visits to 

Menominee Nation for indigenous community members. Participants discuss sustainable forest 

management and share experiences. Visitors have included members of the Sarstoon-Temash 

Institute for Indigenous Management in Belize; the Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon; Kallari, an Ecuadorian cooperative; the Krikati people of 

East Timor; the San Andres Yatuni Zapotec Community in Mexico; the Mayan people from El 

Salvador and Guatemala; the Maori from New Zealand; the Terena people of Mato Grosso do 

Sul; the Tukano indigenous people; and the Sateré-Mawé people from the Brazilian Amazon.

Objective 6 Develop and deploy research and technologies to support tribal 

decisionmaking on natural resources issues

•	 Develop and deploy Web-based decision-support tools that can be used by tribal decisionmakers to inform their management choices.

•	 Strengthen and clarify contact information for Forest Service R&D scientists and institutions 

such that tribal questions can be asked and answered in a timely fashion.

•	 Improve tribal access to research results and science literature.

•	 Develop methodologies that are sensitive to tribal concerns and, when possible, incorporate 

TEK into existing Forest Service management tools.

•	 Proactively address scientific needs of tribal communities by reaching out to tribes and tribal 

professionals with new tools, important research findings, and science syntheses/analyses.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 23

Forest Service Science Tool Delivery to USET and ITC

Getting information for short- and long-term natural resources management is paramount to 

effectively plan for and respond to natural disturbances. ForWarn and Template for Assessing 

Climate Change Impacts and Management Options (TACCIMO) are two tools developed by the 

Forest Service in partnership with other Federal agencies to aid natural resource managers as 

they respond to different types of disturbances. Beginning in October 2012, Southern Research 

Station scientists recognized the opportunity to deliver ForWarn and TACCIMO technology to 

the United Southern and Eastern Tribes, Inc. (USET), and the ITC organization.

At the ITC Annual Timber Symposium, hosted by the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, 

in June 2013, the Forest Service presented an overview of the ForWarn disturbance monitoring 

system. ForWarn, a monitoring tool for the conterminous United States, shows maps of near 

real-time forest change caused by the effect of disturbances such as insect pests, wildfires, wind 

and ice storms, flooding, logging, and land-use conversions. Tribal managers can use ForWarn 

to view past and current forest conditions to detect the presence and spread of forest pathogens 

and invasive species; measure the location, extent, severity, and recovery of forests from wildland fires and various storms; and assess the effectiveness of forest management operations.

In addition, Forest Service scientists from the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Center demonstrated the TACCIMO tool and led a 3-hour virtual workshop for the USET Natural Resources 

Committee during a semiannual meeting held in Niagara Falls, NY. TACCIMO is a Web-based 

tool to assist natural resource managers to plan for and adapt to climate change. The tool has 

two components that (1) enable managers to rapidly retrieve current climate change literature 

as it applies to their management needs and (2) provide access to management plans and 

temperature and precipitation forecasts specific to forest location. Representatives from the 

Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Eastern Band of Cherokee 

Indians, Seneca Nation of Indians, Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and the Seminole Tribe of 

Florida attended the TACCIMO workshop, and the training is available on line for all USET 

member tribes.
24 Forest Service Research and Development 

Tribal Engagement Roadmap Objectives and Actions

Exploring Means for Tribal Partners To Access Scientific Journals

The need and desire for tribes to access natural resource journals and search engines has been 

a standing topic of the ITC’s Research Subcommittee for several years. Forest Service R&D has 

made a commitment to pursue various options to help solve this problem. These options have 

ranged in scope and scale from modifying national contracts and developing national MOUs 

with tribal entities (such as ITC) to establishing local agreements between R&D units and tribal 

colleges. Through discussions with the program manager for the National Forest Service Library, 

it became clear that formally adding nonagency partners and clients to the dozens of annual 

journal and online contracts was challenging.

As an alternative solution, volunteer agreements were established with each of the two ITC 

research subcommittee co-chairs located at Salish Kootenai College and the University of 

Washington. The agreements are intended to support collaboration by Forest Service scientists 

with the volunteer(s), and stipulate authorized access by the volunteers to agency computer 

resources. Before gaining access, each volunteer is required to complete the full suite of security 

and information technology training and clearances. This online access and also numerous 

goals and objectives for collaborations are formally addressed in an MOU between the Rocky 

Mountain Research Station and the Salish Kootenai College.

These approaches—both the volunteer agreement and the MOU between “local” parties—are 

designed as potential models that other stations and tribal natural resource institutions (e.g., 

Haskell Indian Nations University, College of Menominee Nation) could adopt.
Tribal Engagement Roadmap 25

References

Beatty, C.; Leighton, A. 2012. Intertribal Timber 

Council survey of tribal research needs. The 

Forestry Chronicle. 88(5): 565–570. 

Lake, F.K. 2011. Working with American Indian 

tribes on wildland fires: protecting cultural 

heritage sites in northwestern California. Fire 

Management Today. 71(3): 14–21.

Lynn, K.; MacKendrick, K.; Donoghue, E. 2011. 

Social vulnerability and climate change: 

synthesis of literature. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNWGTR-838. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest 

Research Station. 70 p.

Mason, L.; White, G.; Morishima, G.; Alvarado, 

E.; Andrew, L.; Clark, F.; Durglo, M.; Durglo, J.; 

Eneas, J.; Erickson, J.; Friedlander, M.; Hamel, 

K.; Hardy, C.; Harwood, T.; Haven, F.; Isaac, 

E.; James, L.; Kenning, R.; Leighton, A.; Pierre, 

P.; Raish, C.; Shaw, B.; Smallsalmon, S.; 

Stearns, V.; Teasley, H.; Weingart, M.; Wilder, 

S. 2012. Listening and learning from traditional 

knowledge and Western science: a dialogue on 

contemporary challenges of forest health and 

wildfire. Journal of Forestry. 110(4): 187–193.

National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 

Policy Research Center and Montana State 

University (MSU) Center for Native Health Partnerships. 2012. Walk softly and listen carefully: 

building research relationships with tribal 

communities. Washington, DC, and Bozeman, 

MT: National Congress of American Indians 

(NCAI) Policy Research Center and Montana 

State University (MSU) Center for Native Health 

Partnerships. 34 p.

Parrotta, J.A., Trosper, R.L., editors. 2012. Traditional forest-related knowledge: Sustaining 

communities, ecosystems and biocultural 

diversity. World Forest Series. Vol. 12. The 

Netherlands: Springer, Dordrecht. 621 p. 

Petoskey, J. 1985. Indians and the first amendment. In: Vine Deloria, Jr., ed., American Indian 

policy in the Twentieth Century: 221–226.

Ryan, K.C.; Jones, A.T.; Koerner, C.L.; Lee, K.M., 

tech. eds. 2012. Wildland fire in ecosystems: 

effects of fire on cultural resources and archaeology. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 3. Fort 

Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research 

Station. 224 p.

World Commission on Environment and Development. 1987. Our common future. Oxford and 

New York: Oxford University Press: 12 p.

For more information, contact—

Carl F. Lucero 

Director, Landscape Restoration and Ecosystem Services Research

Research and Development

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

1400 Independence Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20250–0003

Phone: 703–405–3823

E-mail: carlflucero@fs.fed.us

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, 

color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, 

sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact 

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, 

Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 

720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

The Forest Service Research and Development Tribal Engagement Roadmap communicates a program of action for the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service Research and Development (R&D) Deputy Area regarding services 

to, and engagement with, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Hawaiian Natives, Pacific Islanders, and other indigenous 

peoples. The roadmap will provide assistance to more than 500 researchers and R&D personnel in accomplishing the 

R&D mission and will be adapted and updated as needed.

Cover photo: Credits from left to right: 

Forest Service researcher working with Native American high school students on a greenhouse research project. 

Photo by Janelle Meier.

Evergreen huckleberries and California hazel (used in the making of baskets) require wildfire. Photo by Frank 

Lake, Forest Service.

The 2006 Cultural Plant Propagation Center Grand Opening, Moencopi Day School, Tuba City, AZ. Photo by 

Thomas D. Landis.

Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station research ecologist and Tribe Heritage Consultant on the 2008 

Ukonom Complex in northwestern California. Photo by LeRoy Cyr, Forest Service.