Welcome, dear friends of Asitu’lisk. Today, we come to you with a heartfelt update on a pressing matter that demands our collective attention. Our cherished Ksu’sk Kmu’ja’qamitk (Hemlock forest), a living testament to our cultural heritage with some of the oldest trees in the province, is facing a grave threat – the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). HWA decimates hemlock forests, killing almost all trees, which results in a loss of ecological integrity and health.
The only hope in creating a resilient population of eastern hemlock is to get ahead of the pest as it spreads, and manage the forests through precise treatments, biocontrol measures, and adaptive forestry interventions. We’ve been gathering experts and information, working on budgets, training, and moving forward.
Healing with Ceremony and Medicine
At Asitu’lisk, we refuse to surrender our beloved Hemlock forests without a fight. As one of the first Indigenous-led charities, Ulnooweg Education Centre has taken a two-eyed seeing approach to the healing of our trees. We acknowledge the pain Indigneous groups have gone through in the treatment of our forests with chemical waste, and we want to ensure that with our Elders in ceremony we are all taking a path of medicine and healing. We are here to create a resilient forest and allow it to heal and flourish.
We have gone through a long process of gathering information, talking to experts, consulting Elders, conducting ceremony, and training staff before implementing a comprehensive strategy to combat the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). Current research and discussion with our Elders and other subject experts suggests that the pathway to a future with eastern hemlock on the landscape will require a multi-faceted approach. Ulnooweg has decided on an integrated system of inoculation, long-term control, and forest interventions grounded in ceremony.
Partnerships & Collaboration
Over the last several months, efforts have begun to communicate, develop and create a medicine and management plan for the Asitu’lisk forest. Following a series of community consultations with the local community, Mi’kmaq Elders, and knowledge keepers, Ulnooweg is now embarking on precise, systemic healing of a selection of hemlocks to preserve the ecological and cultural integrity of this special forest.
Working together with Community Forests International, Earth Keepers from Mi’kmawey Forestry of the CMM and Acadia First Nation, Kejimkujik National Park, Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, Medway Community Forest Co-op, and other experts in the field, an informed plan is being made to merge physical control measures with adaptation measures to prepare untreated portions of the forest for the loss of hemlock. Through ceremony, we have learned that the trees recognize the inoculation as medicine, and they welcome our help.
Together, we are united in our commitment to confront the HWA threat head-on, armed with innovative solutions and unwavering determination.
It will be a multi-year project to complete the first phase of healing medicine, with two rounds occurring in the summer and fall of 2023.
With the ancestor hemlocks once more in the hands and hearts of Mi’kmaq through Ulnooweg Education Centre, this forest is in the best situation during this time where it needs active care.
We are grateful for the guidance and wisdom shared by our Mi’kmaq Elders, who bring invaluable traditional knowledge and deep spiritual connections to the land. Their profound understanding of the forest and its significance in Mi’kmaq culture enriches our efforts and strengthens our resolve.
Join us in this crucial endeavor. Share our message, spread awareness, and lend your voice to the cause. Together, we can combat the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, ensuring that these magnificent trees continue to thrive and bestow their countless gifts upon the world.