10/12/2026
Today, we honor . In the forestry community, it's crucial to recognize the contributions of Indigenous communities and honor their knowledge, especially when it comes to understanding the history and culture of the forests around us.
"My hope is that students in my courses come to appreciate that understanding landscape change and developing restoration approaches requires tools from both forest ecology and an understanding of the history and culture of a particular place...[and] appreciate that ecological restoration is most effective when multiple voices are present."
We spoke with Dr. Kurt Kipfmueller, 1855 Professor of Indigenous and Tribal Natural Resource Management, a recent addition to the Forestry Department, about his work with Indigenous communities and what he hopes students take away from learning about Indigenous approaches to natural resources. Read more: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/faculty-spotlight-kurt-kipfmueller
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Photo 1: Kurt discusses the procedures used to sample fire-scarred stumps with Mae Wright, Little Traverse bay Bands of Odawa Indians Tribal Historic Preservation Officer near Cross Village, MI.
Photo 2: Kurt collects an increment core sample from a living red pine with Derek Hartline, Conservation Biologist with Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.
Photo 3: Kurt explains the mechanisms of fire scar formation with partners and collaborators from Tribal groups and the Michigan DNR.
