ECOLOGY

          Taxus brevifolia isconsideredNative to Oregon.  It is a small evergreen tree or shrub that can be distinguished by its pointy and flat needlelike leaves which when picked give off a citrus smell. You can find it in shaded environments in mature Pine and Fir forests
         

         The Pacific Yew is a medicinal plant with a very important job. The bark of this tree has been proven to treat certain forms of cancer and is currently marketed in the form of a pill called Taxol. Other uses of this  healing plant include the treatment of rheumatism, tuberculosis,  and gonorrhea (Foster 1995).

HISTORY

          This tree has been used extensively by Native Americans throughout history. An ancient use of it that foreshadows its modern use was the practice of mixing Yew with pitch and clarified butter, then applying it for the treatment of cancer (Foster 1995). It was also used by Native women to remove underarm hair.  Specifically, the Haidas Tribe believed that a women who eat the berries of the Yew tree are unable to conceive, but its effectiveness as birth control is unconfirmed (Bolsinger 1990).                      

ECONOMICS

          Demand was very high for the Yew when it was initially discovered that its bark could make Taxol in the 1990s. By 2000 Taxol was the most popular cancer drug on the market, totaling 1.2 billion dollars worldwide. There has been a generic form of Taxol released called Onxol that is used to treat patients for $4,500 for 6 doses, as compared to Taxol which runs $8,500 for six doses. This new drug has decreased the demand for the Pacific Yew, which has helped sky-rocket the species into very high numbers once again (Goodman 2001).

POLICY

          Despite the fact that Taxol is less widely used than before it is still a very well regulated forest product, as well as a hot issue for environmentalists, law makers, and corporations alike.  In fact there has been so much heated debate about this tree that there was an act implemented called the Pacific Yew Act (Goodman 2001). This was brought on by the government who thought that there should be more federal management to ensure a continuous supply of Taxol, what some though of as a, “miracle drug.” Currently there is an advocacy group known as the Native Yew Conservation Council who is concerned with the sustainability of the Yew.

*Compiled from a paper by Phillip Sprague