WPCIB Nature Trail

Zonal Forest; IDFxh 01

As you enter the forest, the ecosystem changes. The site classification here is IDFxh 01. The 01 indicates a "zonal" site. This means that the forest here is fairly old (about 140 years), and that there is average moisture for this forest type (remember, though, that average here is quite dry).
The indicator plants include snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), birch-leaved spirea (Spireae betulifolia), and red-stemmed feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi).

Common: Interior Douglas fir
Latin: Pseudotsuga menziesii var.gauca
Secwepemc: tsqellp

All parts of the Douglas fir were used. The seeds were collected and eaten. The bark was a "coal" for fires. The wood was used extensively for tools, buildings, and firewood. The boughs were used as bedding and in sweat lodges. The sap was collected and made into syrup for both food and medicine. The pitch of Douglas fir is anti-bacterial, and was used to cleanse and close wounds.

Common: Tall Oregon grape
Latin: Mahonia aquifolium
Secwepemc: stsal'sellp / stsal's

The berries of Oregon grape ripen in August. They can be eaten fresh, although they are quite bitter and seedy. Traditionally they were mashed and dried into cakes, and often mixed with other berries to sweeten them. Today they are made into jams. Tea from the bark was made as a tonic. The bright yellow inner bark was also used as a dye.