Traditional Use Studies recognize the importance of identifying and evaluating cultural areas, from an archaeological, anthropological, ethnographic and historical point of view, for the purpose of resource management planning. 

Through the TUS process, historical and cultural information is collected and mapped for use by the cultural group being studied as well as by outside agencies. 

Traditional and cultural areas are generally defined as those used by one or more aboriginal groups for a variety of different activities, and may or may not contain physical or archaeological evidence of that use. 

These traditional sites, whether or not they continue to be used today, maintain a cultural significance to a living community of people in the form of their beliefs, customs and practices of land use as passed down to them through the generations. 

These locations are associated with cultural history, resource activities and other traditional, economic and artistic practices.

Recent projects include:

TRADITIONAL USE STUDY INVENTORY: A database inventory of existing Traditional Use Studies and Cultural Heritage Overview Assessments conducted in B.C. since 1987 and prepared for the Ministry of Forests, Aboriginal Affairs Branch, Victoria, B.C., Canada. The database can be accessed via the Internet at

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/aab/int_msrs/tusdbase.htm

PACHEEDAHT FIRST NATION, LITTLE ZEBALLOS WATERSHED, WESTERN EHATTESAHT, HEBER LANDS AND TSILHQOT'IN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TRADITIONAL USE STUDIES:

Five multifaceted ethnographic and historical traditional land and resource use studies conducted on the west coast of Vancouver Island and the interior of British Columbia, Canada.