Why prescribed fires are a necessary tool against climate change

A spiritual and practical explanation of prescribed burns

Our forests are hurting. This illness is due to lack of respect and reverence for all that they provide both intrinsic values; food, fiber, medicine, air as well as extrinsic; beauty and awe they inspire. Yet even other forests such as the redwoods and other national parks are sick, not because of lack of inspiration but lack of understanding on the part of their current caretakers, humans.

Forests mostly inspire two reactions; protect or plunder. Most people will either see a boundless treasure trove of food, timber or workable land and must take, distribute and use the resources and quickly and effectively as possible. These types of people play a large role in why old-growth forests are disappearing at an alarming rate and decertification increasing globally. Yet those who aim to conserve land are not without fault. You see letting land rest makes it less productive and allows nuisance species to flourish. Managing the landscape can look very different depending on what your understanding of the land you manage is.

After igniting a prescribed fire a firefighter looks on.

Forest fires are vilified, viewed as nothing more than a destructive unnatural force that must be extinguished at first spark by heroic people. Fire Fighters are heroes! This fact I do not oppose. Routinely putting your life on the line to protect strangers' lives, and property is an act of bravery I can not begin to fathom. The question is are all fires bad?

As an experiential outdoor educator, I have taught hundreds of young people and many adults how to build a fire using natural materials. I teach these people that fire is a tool, it can be destructive or creative, harmful or helpful. Every ancient tradition I have learned about has sacred rituals around fire. Many Indigenous peoples have sacred fires, similarly, the Jewish tradition has many customs and rituals around fire. Many holidays such as Chanukah and Shabbat are marked by the lighting of candles. On the holiday of Lag Ba’Omer, people light bonfires to celebrate.

But for old-growth cultures fires are not just used in ceremony, for thousands of years archeological records show fire has been used as a tool to manage the landscape. Forest fires can…