Perceptions of Tree Diseases in Indigenous Communities: Native Alaskan and Hawaiian Insights

Abstract

Concern for tree mortality and damage, and preferences for management interventions, reflect people’s values and cultures. We examine perceptions of tree diseases in two Indigenous communities to provide examples of the types of distress and attitudes that arise when tree diseases significantly damage cultural values. Summaries of yellow-cedar decline as perceived by Tlingit and Haida Alaska Natives and rapid ʻōhiʻa death (ROD) and Native Hawaiian culture underscore the interconnections between local people and local forests and the ways forest diseases can impart a loss of culture and connections to ancestors. The complex relationships between Indigenous people, ecosystems, and tree diseases highlight the importance of the inclusion of diverse viewpoints to inform natural resource planning and management so that it may be conducted equitably and ethically. Study Implications: Consideration of cultural and social impacts as criteria for prioritization of forest disease management requires knowledge of the types and intensity of impacts that forest diseases have on Indigenous and Western culture. A greater understanding of the diversity of perspectives toward forest diseases is needed to inform natural resource planning and management so that it may be conducted in an ecologically sound and inclusive manner.