Cultural Burning
Cultural Burning is a practice that has existed for millennia. It holds different meanings for different Indigenous communities but is often defined as the controlled application of fire on the landscape to achieve specific cultural objectives.
History of Fire
Indigenous communities have in many ways been leading wildland fire mitigation and prevention in Canada since time immemorial. Over the ages, cultural burning on the homelands shaped the lives of humans, plants, animals, and Mother Earth herself.
What is Prescribed Fire?
Prescribed fire is the planned and controlled application of fire to a specific land area and is one of the most ecologically appropriate and relatively efficient means for achieving planned public safety and resource management objectives, for example to enhance a habitat, prepare an area for tree planting or, for disease eradication.
Benefits of Prescribed Fire
Cultural and prescribed fire is the planned and controlled application of fire to a specific land area. It’s a natural part of our ecosystem, which is why it’s not only ecologically appropriate to use for wildfire mitigation. It’s also one of the most cost-effective means for achieving a variety of land management objectives.
Plan a Burn
Prescribed fires are managed to meet objectives identified within a site plan or prescription. They are implemented in accordance with an approved burn plan to limit the negative impacts to surrounding values, such as escapes or smoke.
Partner Resources
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Videos
For videos on cultural burning and prescribed fire.
Case studies
Explore a comprehensive collection of cultural burning and prescribed fire case studies, documenting collaborative efforts in BC to manage landscapes and reduce wildfire risks.
Climate Change
Fire suppression efforts over the last century have resulted in unintended consequences. By stopping fire from naturally occurring, forests and other landscapes have become drier and overgrown.
Smoke
Decades of extreme fire suppression and the effects of climate change are contributing to more frequent and severe wildfires – increasingly exposing British Columbians to health concerns from breathing smoke.
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Youth Education
The new FireSmart BC Education Program is a free, all-in-one teaching resource to introduce students in grades K-12 to FireSmart concepts, including how to make homes and communities more resilient to wildfire.