Haudenosaunee Forest Principles
Haudenosaunee people are the traditional caretakers of over twenty million acres of forests in what is now called New York State. A growing number of forest managers today are required by policy (NYSDEC) or certification programs (SFI, FSC) to integrate Indigenous stewardship and access into management plans.
The goal of this project is to bring together Indigenous community leaders, knowledge holders, and practitioners to consider the ways that Haudenosaunee forest protocols and traditions can be applied to contemporary forest management practices. Together, we will develop a set of Haudenosaunee Forest Principles based on the Haudenosaunee Environmental Protection Process, a guideline developed by the Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force (HETF) in 2007.
The development of these Principles will also result in the creation of lesson plans designed to teach and demonstrate traditional forest knowledge from Indigenous elders and practitioners to youth during Native Earth, a program for Indigenous students to explore the intersection between traditional ecological knowledge and environmental science. The lessons will be piloted during Native Earth workshops for youth to engage in participatory research and education as directed by community needs and goals.