Access to first foods is a priority for local tribes. Huckleberries are one of the most important first foods.
Subalpine meadows, wetlands, disturbed forests (wildfire), and coastal headlands are important natural habitats for first foods. From time immemorial, tribes have maintained portions of these habitats as forest gardens that contribute to tribal diets.
First foods in the Pacific Northwest include:
Many first foods plants require pollination by native pollinators to reproduce and provide good fruit. Native pollinators are in decline throughout the world, including the Pacific Northwest.
First foods habitats are common on federal, state, and local public lands. Land management agencies need to increase emphasis on protecting and restoring first foods habitats, protecting native pollinators, and maintaining tribal access for harvest.