The Tanoak TreeTanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) is a resilient and common hardwood tree native to California and southwestern Oregon. Peoples radically different perceptions of it have ranged from treasured food plant to cash crop to trash tree. Having studied the patterns of tanoak use and abuse for nearly twenty years, botanist Frederica Bowcutt uncovers a complex history of cultural, sociopolitical, and economic factors affecting the trees fate. Still valued