One of those "duh" articles, originally posted in 2021. Came across it recently, and wanted to save it. The quotes are ridiculously European settler mindset, with quotes like, "Many of us know there are historical imprints on the land, but tend to dismiss Native Americans and Aboriginal people globally in terms of their impact."
In all my years of reading and learning about nature, trees, and forests—as a hobbyist and curious human. Not from an academic or professional sense, nor from exclusive Indigenous authors—it's been known. This is presented as a big discovery, but feels like there's quite a bit of, "you've finally caught on; took long enough."
Anyways!
Some quotes:
A new study reveals that isolated patches of fruit trees and berry bushes in the region's hemlock and cedar forests were deliberately planted by Indigenous peoples in and around their settlements more than 150 years ago.
That suggests the forest gardens were not only deliberately cultivated by Indigenous gardeners, but also remained resilient in the face of dominant local flora long after people left the scene, the researchers report today in Ecology and Society. The mix of different species was probably key to their persistence, Miller says: "There's less open niche space, so it's harder for new species to come in."
The forest gardens were filled with plants that benefited humans, but they also continue to provide food for birds, bears, and insect pollinators, even after 150 years of neglect.