The population ecology and ethnobotany of Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus (Sm.) Torr. & A. Gray ex. Miq.; Araliaceae)
Date
2001
Authors
Lantz, Trevor C.
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Abstract
Devil's club (Oplopanax horridus (Sm.) Torr. & A. Gray ex. Miq.) has recently become an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvested from the understory of temperate forests in western North America. This research focuses on several aspects of the population ecology and ethnobotany of devil's club as a means of addressing ecological and cultural concerns associated with this harvesting.
To provide additional autecological data and investigate the importance of clonal reproduction in population persistence, I sampled populations of devil's club in three classes of forest stand development. A number of population characteristics examined were significantly (P < 0.05) related to stand development class. Sexual recruitment appears to be un-important in existing devil's club populations, which are maintained in the early stages of forest succession by stem sprouting following disturbance and continual layering and clonal fragmentation.
To examine the cultural significance of devil's club, to assess the potential of traditional harvesting practices in developing sustainable management approaches and to explore potential cultural concerns associated with harvesting I reviewed the literature and conducted interviews with several knowledgeable plant specialists. Traditional knowledge of specific practices and cultural protocols associated with harvesting and use has significant potential to aid in the development of management practices. However, the depth of the cultural significance of this plant, evidenced by data on traditional use and cultural significance, make it unlikely that commercialization itself is compatible with the cultural importance of this plant.
To assess potential population level impacts of various harvesting intensities on devil ' s club, and to test the hypothesis that specific traditional management practices can aid in developing harvesting guidelines, I established six replicates of three experimental harvesting treatments and a control. Post harvest data in the most intense treatment indicates that harvesting practices removing large portions of decumbent stem and roots are detrimental to long-term population maintenance. Such practices deplete the bud bank, hindering regeneration and recruitment. Data from treatments emulating traditional harvesting practices, including selective harvesting and stem replanting, suggest that harvesting practices ensuring the maintenance of a functional bud bank are more conducive to long term sustainability and provide additional evidence that traditional knowledge, associated with specific harvesting practices, is integral to efforts to responsibly manage NTFPs.