Indigenous Fire Wisdom: How Traditional Cultural Burns Could Transform Modern Wildfire Management and Forest Health

As climate change intensifies wildfire seasons across the globe, fire management experts are turning to an ancient solution that Indigenous communities have practiced for thousands of years. Amy Cardinal Christianson, a senior fire advisor with the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, explains how traditional “cultural burns” offer a fundamentally different—and potentially more effective—approach to forest management than conventional prescribed burning techniques.

While modern prescribed burns focus primarily on reducing fuel loads to prevent catastrophic wildfires, Indigenous cultural burns serve multiple interconnected purposes that benefit both ecosystems and communities. These traditional practices don’t just clear undergrowth; they actively restore forest health, promote biodiversity, support traditional food systems, and maintain cultural connections to the land. Cultural burns are typically smaller, cooler, and more frequent than prescribed burns, mimicking natural fire patterns that many forest ecosystems evolved with over millennia.

The distinction matters more than ever as wildfire seasons grow longer and more destructive. Christianson’s expertise bridges Indigenous knowledge systems with contemporary fire science, demonstrating how integrating both approaches could create more resilient landscapes. Cultural burns often target specific areas to encourage certain plant species, create habitat for wildlife, and maintain the mosaic-like forest patterns that naturally resist large-scale fires.

This collaboration between traditional ecological knowledge and modern fire management represents a promising path forward for climate adaptation. As communities worldwide grapple with increasingly unpredictable fire seasons, Indigenous-led fire practices offer time-tested strategies that could help heal both fire-damaged landscapes and the relationship between people and forests.