Indigenous women learn to protect their ancestral lands with fire
On a nearly 45-degree slope along the middle Klamath River in October, Isha Goodwin joined women from across the planet preparing to set fire to the land surrounding Ishraamhírak, a Karuk village site north of Orleans. Under a dappled canopy of conifers, tanoak and oak trees, and the occasional poison oak patch, Goodwin, a member of the Karuk Tribe, drew fiery circles with a drip torch on accumulations of dead leaves, twigs and other dried-out plant material, or duff as it’s known in the fire trade. … The program, known as TREX, was developed to provide hands-on training for local fire crews by running cooperative prescribed burns. … Putting “good fire” on the ground supported forests and other lands that require fire to maintain healthy conditions. Smoke from these “low, slow” burns also shaded rivers and streams, which cooled the waters for the salmon.
Related article:
- Northern California Public Media: New research finds prescribed burns may emit more carbon as trees die faster in CA forests