With the recent events, several California wildfires have been destroying many homes, ecosystems, and livelihoods. Many experts are turning to ancient methods of fire management practiced by several state tribes for solutions. 

Long before the arrival of European settlers, Californian Native American tribes had developed intricate systems controlling wildfires, including the use of controlled burns in order to maintain a healthy environment and to prevent future wildfires. 

Today, these are known as “cultural burns” and are becoming recognized as an effective wildfire management tool, in order to prevent the frequent and devastating wildfires.  

For thousands of years, indigenous tribes like the Yurok, Karuk, and Miowk have practiced controlled burns as a part of their cultural relationship with the land around them. The fires are low-intensity, carefully timed and managed, with the National Park Services stating that tribes have, “used fires to clear areas for crops and travel, to manage the land for specific species of both plants and animals, to hunt game, and for many other important uses. Fire was a tool that promoted ecological diversity and reduced the risk of catastrophic wildfires.”

These fires were small but set up strategically during the cooler seasons, and regularly set to keep the ecosystem in check. 

Now, in the 20th century, policies of aggressive fire suspension have become standard in the United States. 

For a long time, federal and state agencies have feared uncontrolled wildfires, and began implementing strict measures in order to prevent wildfires. While this approach had well intentions, it came with a few unintended consequences. 

By preventing small, natural fires from clearing out dead vegetation, the forests have become overgrown with highly flammable materials, causing fires to break out much more intensely, becoming more difficult to control because there was more to burn. 

Through those periods of wildfires, the traditional indigenous wildfire practice was abandoned, though it was proved to be effective. 

Now, as the wildfire crisis worsens, there has been a growing recognition that fire suppression alone isn’t enough, with many experts advocating to return the indigenous methods of land management in order to keep California’s ecosystem well shaped. 

Indigenous tribes have understood the rule of fire in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, and their controlled burns have proven to be an effective method of reducing wildfire risks.

By reviving and expanding the use of cultural burns, we will have a better connection between indigenous tribes and modern fire agencies. We can develop a more sustainable and resilient approach to wildfire prevention and control of the land around us.