Indigenous influence on forest management on the Menominee Indian Reservation

Abstract

Until the era of self-determination from 1972 to the present, few Indian tribes in the United States were able to influence forest management on their reservations. The Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin is a major exception; based upon legislation in 1908, they were able to force the federal government to implement many ideas that are now popular as part of sustainable forest management: long rotation ages, selection harvest practices, and long-term monitoring. They also have maintained a mill throughout to support tribal employment. Other tribes have been able to implement their own ideas as their control of reservations has increased; the Intertribal Timber Council has an annual symposium at which tribes exchange ideas about forest management.