Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative

In consultation between the USFS and Arizona based Indian Tribes, the request was heard for the USFS to collect information on traditionally used plants in order to develop management protocols that conserve identified species as restoration treatments are conducted on the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) project area. This project addressed this informational need by developing a citizen science program to collect location information of traditionally used plants. The project is therefore 1) enabling 4FRI managers to develop management protocols to ensure long-term sustainability and availability of these resources for tribes, 2) enhancing tribal access to traditionally-used plants, and 3) providing data to researchers to devise scientifically-based management and restoration protocols for these species. Partners are currently working to share this citizen science model with the agency by developing a document to guide project development based on their experience and by serving as informational support for other USFS units. The citizen science guide will be comprehensive, describing the process of project development from ideation to evaluation. It will also target the topic of fostering and sustaining public engagement - lack of which is frequently cited as a leading cause of project failure.