Zena Forest Plant Guide

 Knowing a plant’s use and name creates a connection between the individual possessing the knowledge and the surrounding environment. This knowledge used to be commonplace however, in our removed “western” lifestyles; this knowledge has become more inaccessible and seemingly reserved for select groups. The goals of my research, at Willamette University’s Zena Forest are to create an electronic guidebook with scientific, common, and indigenous plant names, identification characteristics and traditional uses. My intended audience is people with little or no background in botany in the hope that through learning about their local landscape everyone can appreciate and feel a connection to the natural world around them. It is my expectation that the ethnobotany information will create a draw to readers. In turn once people realize how much medicine, food and materials naturally occur, they will feel more inclined to protect it.