On a geological time scale, fairly recently during the Little Ice Age, glaciers were abundant in southeast Alaska.
Often the Tlingit people included in their diet many edible items from the surrounding native vegetation along with what ever seafood and wild game they were able to find.
Hunting and fishing expeditions were not always successful, in which case, meals were made using the local berries, fungus, and seaweed.
[2][page needed] Many of the edible plants that are consumed today in southeast Alaska are eaten because of the knowledge passed down from many generations of Tlingit.
The temperate rainforest of the Tongass National Forest often produces a great amount of mushrooms in the summer and fall months.