Tribe defends ash trees

HOGANSBURG — For the past 20 years, the St. Regis Mohawk tribe has been working to preserve its black ash trees. Now, an upstart little bug from Asia is making it work even harder.

With the emerald ash borer now in New York, the tribe's environment division is busy collecting black ash seeds to repopulate the area in case the bug wipes the full-grown trees out.

"Just when we thought our efforts were done, the bug changed our mind," said Leslie K. Benedict, assistant director of the environment division. "We have enough seeds to see us for about 30 years and then we heard about the emerald borer and we said, 'We have to start collecting again.'"

The bug, a native of Asia, was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and since then has spread to 12 other states and two Canadian provinces. It was discovered in New York this spring. The larvae feed on the inner bark of the tree, preventing the tree from transporting water and nutrients between roots and leaves. It has killed tens of millions of trees and caused millions of dollars in damage to public and private forests.

But to the Mohawks, the black ash is more than a tree that is threatened by a nasty-looking bug. It is part of their culture. Two decades ago, the tribe began trying to preserve and repopulate the reservation with black ash trees at the request of the tribal elders.

"What are we preserving? We're preserving our culture," Mr. Benedict said. "It's not just a tree, and it's not just a tree that grows in a swamp."

For many Americans, the wood is known as the stock from which baseball bats were made for generations. American Indian tribes use the wood from the ash to carve pipes and flutes, as well as to make lacrosse sticks and to use as medicines.

But the wood is perhaps most notable to the Mohawks for its part in traditional basket-making. Wood splints from the trees are woven into baskets, which are still used in Mohawk homes and collected by museums and galleries. They have been given as gifts to foreign leaders, U.S. presidents and a pope.

"It's a living part of our culture and ties us to traditional skills that have been passed down from our ancestors," said Sue Ellen Herne, program coordinator at the Akwesasne Museum. "We have more basket makers here than any of the other Six Nations communities."

Ms. Herne knows how to weave the baskets, though she does not make them often. For others, it is a business and their source of income.

"I can't imagine life without them," Ms. Herne said. "I'm hoping it doesn't devastate us the way it did out in Michigan."

Twenty years ago, there was not much research available about ash trees because they are not as valuable as other hardwoods. So the St. Regis Mohawks literally helped write the book about the trees and now, employees of the environment division regularly work with college students on preservation efforts. They also take their knowledge on the road, presenting information about the tree and its cultural significance.

All that work is paying off. The tribe's data are going to be used by the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in an online program, combining science and culture to teach people about the threat posed by the little black bug. The program is one of four across the country that the museum decided to incorporate into its educational program, Mr. Benedict said.

Officials from the National Museum were unavailable for comment.

"I hope we inspire others to take an interest because it's a very important part of wetland hardwoods," Mr. Benedict said. "We think this insect is here to remain. Maybe it will evolve to be less of a threat. There are too many unknowns; maybe they'll identify a bug to keep this one in check."