Revolutionizing Fire Management: Karuk Tribe’s Long-Standing Burning Practices Studied Through Modern Technology

The Karuk Tribe’s long history of conducting burns in the fire-prone Klamath Mountains has been studied using 21st-century technology. Researchers from Oregon State University have collaborated with the Tribe to understand these traditional practices of fire stewardship through a computer simulation model. The study focused on 1,000 square miles of Karuk Aboriginal Territory in the western Klamath Mountains of northern California, a fire-prone ecosystem that has recently experienced severe wildfires.

The research revealed that before the arrival of European colonizers, cultural burning was widespread across the landscape. An estimated 6,972 cultural ignitions occurred annually, with an average of 6.5 ignitions per year for each Indigenous fire steward. The findings were published in Ecological Applications and showcase the significance of Indigenous cultural stewardship across the landscape.

Skye Greenler, who led the partnership when she was a graduate research fellow in the OSU College of Forestry, highlighted the importance of this research in showcasing the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across the landscape. Collaborating with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources, OSU scientists developed historical estimates for cultural ignition locations, frequency, and timing using statistical parameters developed with input from Tribal members and knowledge holders using interviews, historical and contemporary maps, ethnographies, recent ecological studies, and generational knowledge.