Indigenous communities turn to prescribed burns to protect land from wildfires – CBC

Apr 29, 2024

Traditional burning is a lost art in many Indigenous communities in Alberta: fire crews

As the threat of wildfires continues to ramp up, Indigenous communities in northern Alberta are trying to mitigate the risk by burning stretches of dried-out lands.

Prescribed burning isn’t new for Indigenous communities; it’s a practice that dates back generations to protect lands from the threat of wildfires and spur the regrowth of trees, plants and grasses.

“[Burns] rejuvenate the land, helps get the medicines back, burns off the invasive species of plants and brings back the natural habitat,” said Shane Bair, director of emergency operations and fire chief for Beaver Lake Cree Nation, 215 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

Bair, a member of Muskoday First Nation in Saskatchewan, used to work for Saskatchewan First Nations Emergency Management and was part of the We Are Fire program, which taught the practice of traditional prescribed burns.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/indigenous-communities-turn-to-prescribed-burns-to-protect-land-from-wildfires-1.7187630