Pacific Northwest Research Station

Title: A social history of wild huckleberry harvesting in the Pacific Northwest.

Author: Richards, Rebecca T.; Alexander, Susan J.

Date: 2006

Source: Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-657. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 113 p

Station ID: GTR-PNW-657

Description: Once gathered only for subsistence and cultural purposes, wild huckleberries are now also harvested commercially. Drawing on archival research as well as harvester and producer interview and survey data, an inventory of North American wild huckleberry plant genera is presented, and the wild huckleberry harvesting patterns of early Native Americans and nonindigenous settlers are described. The social, technological, and environmental changes that gave rise to the commercial industry in the Pacific Northwest by the 1920s and the industry’s demise after World War II are explained. The resurgence of the commercial wild huckleberry industry in the mid-1980s and national forest management issues related to the industry are presented as are possible strategies that land managers could develop to ensure wild huckleberry, wildlife, and cultural sustainability.

Keywords: Northwest Forest Plan, huckleberry, Vaccinium, berry picking, Pacific Northwest

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Citation

Richards, Rebecca T.; Alexander, Susan J.  2006.  A social history of wild huckleberry harvesting in the Pacific Northwest..   Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-657. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 113 p.