Indigenous Agroforestry Network
Project partners:
- Climate resilience, Stewardship of lands & waters
- California, Oregon, Washington
2000 – 2020
- Climate resilience, Food systems, Forestry, Tools & mapping, Training & education
Top photo caption goes here. Photo credit
Indigenous land management practices are deeply holistic, shaped by thousands of years of experience and knowledge. Today, these knowledge systems continue to inform contemporary agroforestry practices, creating opportunities for integrated and sustainable land stewardship. However, Tribes and Indigenous practitioners often face barriers to accessing essential resources and support needed to steward their lands.
The Indigenous Agroforestry project and Indigenous Agroforestry Network support Indigenous-led agroforestry by fostering collaboration between Tribes, practitioners, and allied partners. Rooted in traditional land management practices, the project enhances access to resources and knowledge that bridge Indigenous stewardship with contemporary agroforestry.
Photo caption goes here. Sean Gutierrez
Attendees at the inaugural Indigenous Agroforestry Network Gathering cracking acorns to make traditional first food acorn soup, a staple for many tribes in Northern California. Daisy Autumn Photography
Our focus
- Building an Indigenous Agroforestry Network to connect practitioners in the Northwest and beyond.
- Conducting landscape and needs assessments to identify priorities and expand access to agroforestry-related resources.
- Conducting landscape and needs assessments to identify gaps in technology and tools used for forest management and Indigenous agroforestry practices.
- Our work builds on momentum from the 2021 Indigenous Agroforestry webinar series, leading to the creation of the Pacific Northwest Tribal Agroforestry StoryMap, an educational resource on Indigenous land stewardship.
Examples of Indigenous land management practices that align with agroforestry definitions may include the tending and pruning of wild huckleberry bushes, cultural burning to support basket weaving materials, planting medicinal and cultural shrubs and trees along riparian zones for migrating salmon or managing oak woodlands to support acorn production, which feeds both tribal communities and wildlife.
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Partners
Project Partners
The Hoopa Valley Tribal Forestry Department under the direction of the Hoopa Valley Tribal Council is responsible for the management of over 87,000 acres of timberland, containing an abundance of commercial and cultural resources.
The USDA National Agroforestry Center advances the health, diversity, and productivity of working lands, waters, and communities through agroforestry.
INC is a USDA Forest Service managed, tribally guided, organization for advancing the interests of native peoples involved with plant production in nurseries.
The USFS Pacific SW Fire and Fuel program researches decision-support models that analyze risk, resource allocation economics, and fire danger forecasting.
The Research and Development arm of the Forest Service is a component of the USDA, working at the forefront of science to improve the nation’s forests and grasslands.
The Forest Service stewards an impressive portfolio of landscapes across 193 million acres of National Forests and Grasslands in the public trust.
HU is a nonprofit, independent, non-denominational, accredited institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate education within Yakama Nation homelands.
Cal Poly Humboldt is a public institution and part of the 23-campus California State University system.
Washington State University is a public land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, with 39 WSU extension locations across the state.
Attendees at the inaugural Indigenous Agroforestry Network Gathering in Blue Lake, CA. Daisy Autumn Photography
Ecotrust Project Team & Services
Want to learn more? Check out the full Ecotrust Staff & Board and all of our Tools for Building Collective Change.
Ecotrust project team
- Forests & Ecosystem Services Program Manager
- Community Outreach Coordinator
- Measurement & Evaluation Manager
- Indigenous Community Engagement Manager
- Vice President for Tribal Lands and Waters Stewardship
- Director of Forestry, Data & Analytics
- Forests and Community Program Director
- Geospatial Data Scientist
services
Build and deliver mission-aligned projects in partnership: Large group facilitation, Developing ideas into programs, Affected people/community analysis, Program evaluation & reporting
Engage and communicate powerful stories at the intersection of equity, economy, and the environment: Advisory group convening & participation
Contribute tools, analyses, and frameworks that move projects forward: Decision-support tools
On March 25, 2025, Stephanie Gutierrez (San Carlos Apache), Forest and Community Program Director at Ecotrust, led a webinar, “Indigenous Agroforestry in the Northwest,” that explored key findings from the Indigenous Agroforestry Survey Report. This is the first in a series of quarterly webinars from the Indigenous Agroforestry Network.
Resources
News: Axios
Investment in agroforestry — an ancient land management method that integrates the growth of trees with crops or livestock — is emerging with renewed fervor across the U.S.
News: Washington Post
Nine practices from Native American culture that can help the environment.
Website
The Indigenous Agroforestry Network is intended to improve mutual understanding and cooperation between Tribal natural resource programs, Indigenous agroforestry producers, intertribal organizations, and other allied groups and initiatives that prioritize Indigenous self-determination, ways of knowing, and health and wellbeing.
We are the PNW Indigenous Agroforestry Network, a group dedicated to sharing knowledge and best practices related to Indigenous Agroforestry.
Storymap
In May of 2021, the Oregon State University College of Forestry hosted a webinar presented by Dr. Frank K. Lake, USDA Forest Service Research Ecologist. The event shared ideas and examples of how Tribal land, resource stewardship, and agroforestry practices relate to one another, and was part of a broader effort to promote knowledge sharing and network development. To continue that goal of learning and connection, that webinar has been translated into this StoryMap.
Website
The Pacific Northwest (PNW) Agroforestry Working Group was formed in May 2013 to assess the current status of PNW agroforestry education, research, and outreach activities.
