Beargrass (Xerophyllum tenax) on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington: Autecology and Population Status

Natural and cultural history of beargrass (<em>Xerophyllum tenax</em>)

“…Knowledge about natural and human disturbance regimes contributes to adopting practices that maintain or restore ecosystem processes and functions, community structures, and cultural traditions (Brooks 2008, Peter and Shebitz 2006, Shebitz et al 2008. The interactive effects of natural and human disturbances in beargrass habitat are not well understood.…”

“…It can be a significant component of subalpine meadows (Shebitz et al 2008), and also can dominate the understory of dry, mixed-coniferous forest types (Higgins et al 2004). It is found at highest density under canopy openings in various forest types.…”

“…The practice is more commonly documented at lower elevations and In the Sierra Nevada, burning by humans began at least 9,000 years ago (Klinger et al 2008), and in northern California, evidence points toward 8,000 years of anthropogenic burning, assuming that ancient inhabitants had a similar cultural lifestyle as more recent tribes (Rentz 2003). Periodic burning of places where beargrass grows was used both to enhance its growth and to ensure its availability and quality for use in basketry (Hunter 1988;Rentz 2003;Shebitz et al 2008Shebitz et al , 2009a. Numerous western tribes including the Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, Chilula, Upland Takelma, and Olympic Peninsula tribes used periodic burning to maintain beargrass populations (Pullen 1996;Rentz 2003;Shebitz et al 2008Shebitz et al , 2009a.…”

“…After several catastrophic western fires beginning in 1910, burning was prohibited within the national forests nationwide and the policy of fire suppression was established (Rentz 2003). Beargrass is one resource typically collected from burned areas that is declining over at least some of its range (Hunter 1988, Shebitz 2005, Shebitz et al 2008). Change in plant community composition is a readily documented ecological consequence of fire-suppression practices.…”

“…Periodic burning of places where beargrass grows was used both to enhance its growth and to ensure its availability and quality for use in basketry (Hunter 1988;Rentz 2003;Shebitz et al 2008Shebitz et al , 2009a. Numerous western tribes including the Yurok, Karuk, Hupa, Chilula, Upland Takelma, and Olympic Peninsula tribes used periodic burning to maintain beargrass populations (Pullen 1996;Rentz 2003;Shebitz et al 2008Shebitz et al , 2009a. In the Pacific Northwest, the burning of beargrass sites also helped sustain habitat for bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn), camas timing, frequency, severity, and extent, differed depending on cultural needs and habitat characteristics of the region.…”