Reimagine Fire

While fire has been a part of Western landscapes since the retreat of the ice sheets in the Pleistocene, for over a hundred years fire has been painted as bad, and something to be done away with.

From the last 1920s to the 1990s, we were quite successful at suppressing fires because of a cool, wet climate period. We also logged and degraded the natural landscape. Now, as the climate dries, and we have large wind events, we are seeing increasing fire activity - and most often these fires are started by people.

Confusing, right? That’s exactly how I felt when my ancestors first taught me about the forest’s relationship with fire. So let me break it down for you in the best way I know how!

Many western forests evolved with intermittent burning, and fire burned at low, moderate and high intensities. In some drier forests, fire burned more frequently, say every 40-60 years. In wetter forests, near the Pacific coast, fires burned less frequently, often during prolonged drought.

Native American tribes set prescribed and cultural burns to stimulate habitat for game, new young plants, burn paths through the dense forests and maintain open areas. These practices were part of Western landscapes for thousands of years to maintain a healthy connection with the land.

As settlors colonized the West, the use of fire was criminalized and forbidden. Tribes were banned from their ancient burning practices. As a result of fire exclusion, fine materials have built up on the forest floor, potentially increasing fire intensity when they burn.

There are many other ways that suppressing fire affects my home: certain plants need light to bloom, berries need a flush of nutrients to bear fruit. There are many more that I’ll go into in more detail in future articles, but this is just the intro to why prescribed fire is so important to me and my forest friends!

So, while fire does pose significant risks to homes and communities, it is vital part of maintaining our Western forests. I’m here to teach the next generation about the necessity of prescribed and cultural burning for the future of our forests, as well as what you can do to protect your homes from fire.

If we all work together- kids, parents, law makers, firefighters, and the encouraging presence of the forest- we can make a long term change in our forest health. We can change the future of our wild lands.

Remember everyone! Only we can make a change in how people view this issue. Now let’s get to work!