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Especially PLANT FOODS IN MANAGED LAND- by native peoples gradually intensified three to
valued were SCAPES five thousand years ago. Oak trees were cared
Various parts of native plants—fruits, for in multiple ways. It was common practice to

California's seeds, leaves, stems, underground storage or- harvest the acorns before they fell by climbing
numerous gans—provided a foundational portion of the the trees and pruning the limbs, or by knocking
species of diet for California tribes. Plants were cared for them with long stout poles especially grown
with vegetation management practices, many for this purpose in managed groves. It was un-
oaks and their of which were managed forms of ecological derstood that these activities were good for the

acorns. disturbance, imitating the disturbance present trees, removing dead wood, protecting the tree
in natural systems. Techniques such as pruning, and stimulating growth. Melba Beecher, Mono,
knocking, protecting, weeding, digging, tilling, says, “Knocking wakes the tree up. It alerts the
transplanting, watering and burning resulted in tree to bear more.” The nutrient-dense acorn
beneficial changes in plant and animal abun- is high in fat, and requires processing through
dance, ecosystem and species diversity, growth, leaching to reduce bitter tannins before eating.
longevity, productivity and food quality. 2 Though naturalist John Muir may have given the
impression that he hiked the Sierras on bread
ACORNS balls and China tea, records show he was given
Especially valued were California's numer- acorn cakes by Paiute women in the Sierras.
ous species of oaks and their acorns, whose use Setting low-intensity fires in oak landscapes
under and between the trees was probably the
most widespread Indian management technique
for caring for the oaks and the land. This regular
burning suppressed disease and especially helped
to control insect infestations of acorns. The burns
also stimulated the production of sprouts for the
making of cultural items, reduced brush which
decreased the risk of major conflagrations that
could harm the oaks, encouraged the growth
of edible mushrooms, increased edible forbs
and grasses between and under the oaks, and
increased forage for wildlife. In supporting and
3
caring for the oaks, California Indians cared for
the life of the ecosystem as a whole.

NUTS, SEEDS AND GRAINS
In addition to acorns, buckeye nuts and
pinenuts, the grains of many native grasses
and seeds of wildflowers were managed and
harvested by tribes; they were eaten parched or
made into cakes, bread, mush or soup. The wild-
flower redmaids (Calandrinia ciliata), numerous
sunflower species (Helianthus, Wyethia), tidy tips
(Layia platyglossa), chia (Salvia columbariae)
and popcorn flower (Plagiobothrys) all were im-
portant foods for California's indigenous peoples,
relished for their oil content and gathered in great
quantities. Modern wildflower enthusiasts who
Figure 1. California Indians knocked oak trees with long poles to cause the travel to see the spring wildflower blooms in such
acorns to release to the ground. Knocking removed dead wood, controlled places as the Carrizo Plains in southeastern San
diseases, and renewed fruitwood. Luis Obispo County may not realize that such
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