Afire: Understanding Fire Differently

Indigenous tribes gained their unique understanding of fire, and the role of fire on the landscape, long before European settlers came to what is now called North America. Since then, the relationship between federal fire management and indigenous perspectives has often been one of misunderstanding and mistrust. On Episode 2 of "Afire," join Forest Service scientists, Frank Kanawha Lake, a tribal descendant, and Serra Hoagland, a tribal member, as they explain the ways in which Forest Service fire research is collaborating with tribes to jointly strive to better understand and manage fire.

Related Research:

• Partnering in Research About Land Management with Tribal Nations—Insights from the Pacific West (2023)
• Wildlife Stewardship on Tribal Lands (2023)
• Using Culturally Significant Birds to Guide the Timing of Prescribed Fires in the Klamath Siskiyou Bioregion (2023)
• Prescribed Fire Reduces Insect Infestation in Karuk and Yurok Acorn Resource Systems (2022)
• Getting More Fire on the Ground: Landscape-Scale Prescribed Burning Supported by Science (2022)
• Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Mexican Spotted Owl hHabitat in the Southwestern US (2022)
• An Assessment of American Indian Forestry Research, Information Needs, and Priorities (2022)
• Revitalized Karuk and Yurok Cultural Burning to Enhance California Hazelnut for Basketweaving in Northwestern California, USA (2021)
• Indigenous Fire Stewardship: Federal/Tribal Partnerships for Wildland Fire Research and Management (2021)
• The Importance of Indigenous Cultural Burning in Forested Regions of the Pacific West, USA (2021)
• Is Fire “For the Birds”? How Two Rare Species Influence Fire Management Across the US (2019)
• Indigenous Fire Stewardship (2019)
• Integration of Traditional and Western Knowledge in Forest Landscape Restoration (2018)
• Integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge with Western Science for Optimal Natural Resource Management (2017)
• Tribal Lands Provide Forest Management Laboratory for Mainstream University Students (2017)

Scientists:

• Frank Kanawha Lake, Research Ecologist, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Arcata, California
• Serra Hoagland, National Program Lead for Tribal Research, Missoula, Montana

Forestcast is an official USDA Forest Service podcast, and is produced by USDA Forest Service Research and Development.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/products/multimedia/forestcast

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at jonathan.yales@usda.gov