Planting Quercus kelloggii in Collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and Steller’s Jays

Abbey Hart, MS candidate in Ecology at UC Davis; Nursery Special Projects Manager at the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden

California black oak, Quercus kelloggii, acorns are cultivated by Native peoples in California as a culturally significant staple food. Post-colonization forest management or lack thereof has led to less-than-ideal growing conditions for the harvesting of this critical food source. A history of land theft and treaty non-ratification has limited access to black oaks for many Native peoples in California.

In collaboration with the Maidu Summit Consortium, this research tests a mechanism for using Steller’s Jays, Cyanocitta stelleri, as dispersal agents for establishing Quercus kelloggii in areas currently lacking the species. The jays were drawn to platforms stocked with acorns and camera traps documented who came to cache the acorns. This research also explores the importance and complexities of collaboration and engagement with Indigenous communities in restoration projects.