Women Utilizing Arson to Combat Flames

In the early days of settlement on the eastern shores of North America, explorers were astonished by the vast forests they encountered. The trees were so far apart that one could ride their carriage through them [1]. Fast forward to modern times, and the relationship between humans and fire has drastically changed.

Today, fire agencies are turning to Indigenous people for guidance and fire solutions [2]. This shift is a recognition of the traditional knowledge that Indigenous communities possess about fire management. For instance, Margo Robbins, a member of the Yurok Tribe in northern California, emphasizes that the suppression of all fires had a devastating effect on Native people's ability to care for the land with fire [3].

The approach to fire changed dramatically when European colonizers settled on the continent. Massive wildfires in the late 1800s led non-Indigenous conservationists to view fire as a threat to the environment [4]. This perspective was reinforced by the Forest Service's first director, Gifford Pinchot, who promoted the idea that all fires were dangerous and needed to be extinguished [5]. This policy led to decades of fire suppression.

However, the consequences of fire suppression are becoming increasingly apparent. Without regular fires, invasive species can take hold of forests, threatening their biodiversity [6]. Fire suppression also prevents the removal of dead debris from forest floors, and stopping small-scale fires increases the likelihood of large-scale wildfires [7].

To combat this, a practice known as prescribed burning has gained traction. Prescribed fire can achieve various objectives, such as treating invasive plants and maintaining woodlands. Its primary purpose is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires by clearing dead debris on forest floors [8]. Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire adviser with the University of California, is one of many advocates for this age-old practice [9].

Quinn-Davidson believes the key to the success of prescribed burning is ensuring that the fire industry becomes more diverse, with people from all cultural, gender, ethnic, and economic backgrounds becoming leaders of prescribed burning [10]. This diversity is being fostered through events like the one organized by The Nature Conservancy in 2016, which aimed to help position women and people of all gender, ethnic, and racial backgrounds as leaders in prescribed burning [11].

Unfortunately, prescribed burning legislation has faced challenges. In 2020, a bipartisan group in Congress proposed new legislation that would require land managers to increase their use of prescribed burning, although it didn't successfully make it through committee [12]. Despite this setback, the need for prescribed burning is clear. In the same year, there were nearly 9 million acres burned in wildfires in the U.S., a twofold increase from the year before [13].

The scale and intensity of wildfires have dramatically increased in recent years due to both the historic suppression of natural fires and warmer and drier conditions caused by climate change [14]. This is a concern for many, including Katie Sauerbrey, who works as the Oregon fire program manager for The Nature Conservancy. Sauerbrey notes that the emphasis on putting out fire is doing a disservice to the ecological side, benefiting humans in the short term but creating a larger problem [15].

Another concerning statistic is the increasing number of human lives lost to forest fires. Over the past 10 years, the number of people dying in the U.S. due to forest fires has increased by 3% [16]. With over 4.8 million U.S. homes at high or extreme risk from wildfires [17], it is clear that a new approach to fire management is necessary.

Historically, fires held a central place in the life cycle of forests in North America. Indigenous people intentionally burned areas between forests and grasslands to prevent wildfires from spreading [18]. As we move forward, it is crucial that we learn from the past and embrace the knowledge and practices of Indigenous communities to manage fire in a way that benefits both the environment and human safety.

References:

Early Explorers' Accounts of the American Wilderness
Indigenous People Are Helping Fight Wildfires in the West
Yurok Tribe's Margo Robbins on the Importance of Fire in Native American Culture
The History of Fire Suppression in the United States
Gifford Pinchot and the Fire Wars
Fire Suppression and Invasive Species
Fire Suppression and the Increased Risk of Wildfires
Prescribed Fire: A Tool for Wildfire Prevention
Lenya Quinn-Davidson: A Leader in Prescribed Burning
Diversifying the Fire Industry
The Nature Conservancy's Event for Women in Prescribed Burning
Congress Proposes Legislation to Increase Prescribed Burning
2020 Wildfire Season Breaks Records in the U.S.
Climate Change and the Increase in Wildfires
The Ecological Consequences of Fire Suppression
Increasing Death Toll from Forest Fires
Homes at Risk from Wildfires
Indigenous Fire Management Practices