The traditional harvesting of pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) by the Nisqually Tribe within Mount Rainier National Park and its ecological effects.

One of the sources of pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata), a medicinal plant utilized by members of the Nisqually Tribe, is Mount Rainier National Park. In order to fulfill its treaty obligations while ensuring its main missions of providing recreation and conserving natural resources Mount Rainier wanted two questions answered; how is pipsissewa harvested, and does harvesting affect the plant’s ecology? To address the first question I observe members of the Nisqually Tribe harvesting pipsissewa and interview the harvesters about their relationship to this plant. The second question was addressed by measuring plant species frequency, percent ground cover, and pipsissewa stem density in harvested and control plots. The Nisqually harvest pipsissewa by breaking non-flowering stems at ground level. If there are no flowering stems at least three stems are left in a patch. This approach to harvesting does not produce a change in the metrics I measured.