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Copes‐Gerbitz K, Daniels LD, Hagerman SM. The contribution of Indigenous stewardship to an historical mixed-severity fire regime in British Columbia, Canada. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 33:e2736. [PMID: 36104834 PMCID: PMC10078449 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous land stewardship and mixed-severity fire regimes both promote landscape heterogeneity, and the relationship between them is an emerging area of research. In our study, we reconstructed the historical fire regime of Ne Sextsine, a 5900-ha dry, Douglas fir-dominated forest in the traditional territory of the T'exelc (Williams Lake First Nation) in British Columbia, Canada. Between 1550 and 1982 CE, we found median fire intervals of 18 years at the plot level and 4 years at the study-site level. Ne Sextsine was characterized by an historical mixed-severity fire regime, dominated by frequent, low-severity fires as indicated by fire scars, with infrequent, mixed-severity fires indicated by cohorts. Differentiating low- from mixed-severity plots over time was key to understanding the drivers of the fire regime at Ne Sextsine. Low-severity plots were coincident with areas of highest use by the T'exelc, including winter village sites, summer fishing camps, and travel corridors. The high fire frequency in low-severity plots ceased in the 1870s, following the smallpox epidemic, the forced relocation of Indigenous peoples into small reserves, and the prohibition of Indigenous burning. In contrast, the mixed-severity plots were coincident with areas where forest resources, such as deer or certain berry species, were important. The high fire frequency in the mixed-severity plots continued until the 1920s when industrial-scale grazing and logging began, facilitated by the establishment of a nearby railway. T'exelc oral histories and archeological evidence at Ne Sextsine speak to varied land stewardship, reflected in the spatiotemporal complexity of low- and mixed-severity fire plots. Across Ne Sextsine, 63% of cohorts established and persisted in the absence of fire after colonial impacts beginning in the 1860s, resulting in a dense, homogeneous landscape that no longer supports T'exelc values and is more likely to burn at uncharacteristic high severities. This nuanced understanding of the Indigenous contribution to a mixed-severity fire regime is critical for advancing proactive fire mitigation that is ecoculturally relevant and guided by Indigenous expertise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Copes‐Gerbitz
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Lori D. Daniels
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Shannon M. Hagerman
- Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
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Roos CI, Guiterman CH, Margolis EQ, Swetnam TW, Laluk NC, Thompson KF, Toya C, Farris CA, Fulé PZ, Iniguez JM, Kaib JM, O’Connor CD, Whitehair L. Indigenous fire management and cross-scale fire-climate relationships in the Southwest United States from 1500 to 1900 CE. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabq3221. [PMID: 36475806 PMCID: PMC11318655 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abq3221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Prior research suggests that Indigenous fire management buffers climate influences on wildfires, but it is unclear whether these benefits accrue across geographic scales. We use a network of 4824 fire-scarred trees in Southwest United States dry forests to analyze up to 400 years of fire-climate relationships at local, landscape, and regional scales for traditional territories of three different Indigenous cultures. Comparison of fire-year and prior climate conditions for periods of intensive cultural use and less-intensive use indicates that Indigenous fire management weakened fire-climate relationships at local and landscape scales. This effect did not scale up across the entire region because land use was spatially and temporally heterogeneous at that scale. Restoring or emulating Indigenous fire practices could buffer climate impacts at local scales but would need to be repeatedly implemented at broad scales for broader regional benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher H. Guiterman
- CIRES, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
- NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Ellis Q. Margolis
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, Santa Fe, NM, USA
| | - Thomas W. Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Nicholas C. Laluk
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Kerry F. Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Chris Toya
- Natural Resources Department, Pueblo of Jemez, Jemez, NM, USA
| | - Calvin A. Farris
- National Park Service Regions 8, 9, 10, and 12, PO Box 1713, Klamath Falls, OR, USA
| | - Peter Z. Fulé
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Jose M. Iniguez
- Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - J. Mark Kaib
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | - Lionel Whitehair
- School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
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Margolis EQ, Guiterman CH, Chavardès RD, Coop JD, Copes‐Gerbitz K, Dawe DA, Falk DA, Johnston JD, Larson E, Li H, Marschall JM, Naficy CE, Naito AT, Parisien M, Parks SA, Portier J, Poulos HM, Robertson KM, Speer JH, Stambaugh M, Swetnam TW, Tepley AJ, Thapa I, Allen CD, Bergeron Y, Daniels LD, Fulé PZ, Gervais D, Girardin MP, Harley GL, Harvey JE, Hoffman KM, Huffman JM, Hurteau MD, Johnson LB, Lafon CW, Lopez MK, Maxwell RS, Meunier J, North M, Rother MT, Schmidt MR, Sherriff RL, Stachowiak LA, Taylor A, Taylor EJ, Trouet V, Villarreal ML, Yocom LL, Arabas KB, Arizpe AH, Arseneault D, Tarancón AA, Baisan C, Bigio E, Biondi F, Cahalan GD, Caprio A, Cerano‐Paredes J, Collins BM, Dey DC, Drobyshev I, Farris C, Fenwick MA, Flatley W, Floyd ML, Gedalof Z, Holz A, Howard LF, Huffman DW, Iniguez J, Kipfmueller KF, Kitchen SG, Lombardo K, McKenzie D, Merschel AG, Metlen KL, Minor J, O'Connor CD, Platt L, Platt WJ, Saladyga T, Stan AB, Stephens S, Sutheimer C, Touchan R, Weisberg PJ. The North American tree‐ring fire‐scar network. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ellis Q. Margolis
- New Mexico Landscapes Field Station U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center Santa Fe New Mexico USA
| | | | - Raphaël D. Chavardès
- Institut de recherche sur les forêts Université du Québec en Abitibi‐Témiscamingue Rouyn‐Noranda Québec Canada
| | - Jonathan D. Coop
- School of Environment and Sustainability Western Colorado University Gunnison Colorado USA
| | - Kelsey Copes‐Gerbitz
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Denyse A. Dawe
- Northern Forestry Centre Canadian Forest Service Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Donald A. Falk
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, ENR2 Building University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | | | - Evan Larson
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Society University of Wisconsin‐Platteville Platteville Wisconsin USA
| | - Hang Li
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana USA
| | | | | | - Adam T. Naito
- Department of Earth, Environmental, and Geographical Sciences Northern Michigan University Marquette Michigan USA
| | - Marc‐André Parisien
- Northern Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service Natural Resources Canada Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Sean A. Parks
- Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute Rocky Mountain Research Station, US Forest Service Missoula Montana USA
| | - Jeanne Portier
- Forest Resources and Management Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf Switzerland
| | - Helen M. Poulos
- College of the Environment Wesleyan University Middletown Connecticut USA
| | | | - James H. Speer
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana USA
| | - Michael Stambaugh
- School of Natural Resources University of Missouri Columbia Missouri USA
| | - Thomas W. Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Alan J. Tepley
- Canadian Forest Service Northern Forestry Centre Edmonton Alberta Canada
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Front Royal Virginia USA
| | - Ichchha Thapa
- Department of Earth and Environmental Systems Indiana State University Terre Haute Indiana USA
| | - Craig D. Allen
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| | - Yves Bergeron
- Institut de recherche sur les forêts Université du Québec en Abitibi‐Témiscamingue Rouyn‐Noranda Québec Canada
- Département des Sciences Biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Lori D. Daniels
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
| | - Peter Z. Fulé
- School of Forestry Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - David Gervais
- Canadian Forest Service Natural Resources Canada Québec Québec Canada
| | | | - Grant L. Harley
- Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences University of Idaho Moscow Idaho USA
| | - Jill E. Harvey
- Department of Natural Resource Science Thompson Rivers University Kamloops British Columbia Canada
| | - Kira M. Hoffman
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry University of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada
- Bulkley Valley Research Centre Smithers British Columbia Canada
| | - Jean M. Huffman
- Tall Timbers Research Station Tallahassee Florida USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Matthew D. Hurteau
- Department of Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque New Mexico USA
| | - Lane B. Johnson
- Cloquet Forestry Center University of Minnesota Cloquet Minnesota USA
| | - Charles W. Lafon
- Department of Geography Texas A&M University College Station Texas USA
| | - Manuel K. Lopez
- New Mexico Landscapes Field Station U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center Santa Fe New Mexico USA
| | | | - Jed Meunier
- Division of Forestry Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Malcolm North
- USFS PSW Research Station Mammoth Lakes California USA
| | - Monica T. Rother
- Department of Environmental Sciences University of North Carolina‐Wilmington Wilmington North Carolina USA
| | - Micah R. Schmidt
- College of Forestry Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon USA
| | - Rosemary L. Sherriff
- Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Analysis Humboldt State University Arcata California USA
| | | | - Alan Taylor
- Department of Geography and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute The Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USA
| | - Erana J. Taylor
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Valerie Trouet
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Miguel L. Villarreal
- U.S. Geological Survey, Western Geographic Science Center Moffett Field California USA
| | - Larissa L. Yocom
- Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah USA
| | - Karen B. Arabas
- Department of Environmental Science Willamette University Salem Oregon USA
| | - Alexis H. Arizpe
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter Vienna Austria
| | - Dominique Arseneault
- Département de Biologie, Chimie et Géographie Université du Québec à Rimouski Rimouski Quebec Canada
| | | | - Christopher Baisan
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Erica Bigio
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
| | - Franco Biondi
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
| | | | - Anthony Caprio
- Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks Three Rivers California USA
| | | | - Brandon M. Collins
- Center for Fire Research and Outreach University of California Berkeley California USA
| | - Daniel C. Dey
- US Forest Service, Northern Research Station Columbia Missouri USA
| | - Igor Drobyshev
- Swedish Agricultural University, Southern Swedish Research Centre Uppsala Sweden
- Université du Québec en Abitibi‐Témiscamingue Rouyn‐Noranda Quebec Canada
| | | | | | - William Flatley
- Department of Geography University of Central Arkansas Conway Arkansas USA
| | | | - Ze'ev Gedalof
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - Andres Holz
- Department of Geography Portland State University Portland Oregon USA
| | - Lauren F. Howard
- Department of Biology Arcadia University Glenside Pennsylvania USA
| | - David W. Huffman
- Ecological Restoration Institute Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Jose Iniguez
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Kurt F. Kipfmueller
- Department of Geography, Environment, and Society University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota USA
| | | | - Keith Lombardo
- Southern California Research Learning Center San Diego California USA
| | - Donald McKenzie
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | | | | | - Jesse Minor
- University of Maine System Farmington Maine USA
| | - Christopher D. O'Connor
- Forestry Sciences Laboratory Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service Missoula Montana USA
| | - Laura Platt
- Department of Geography Portland State University Portland Oregon USA
| | - William J. Platt
- Department of Biological Sciences Louisiana State University Baton Rouge Louisiana USA
| | - Thomas Saladyga
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences Concord University Athens West Virginia USA
| | - Amanda B. Stan
- Department of Geography, Planning and Recreation Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Arizona USA
| | - Scott Stephens
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California, Berkeley Berkeley California USA
| | - Colleen Sutheimer
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology University of Wisconsin‐Madison Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Ramzi Touchan
- Laboratory of Tree‐Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson Arizona USA
| | - Peter J. Weisberg
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno Nevada USA
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Kipfmueller KF, Larson ER, Johnson LB, Schneider EA. Human augmentation of historical red pine fire regimes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kurt F. Kipfmueller
- Department of Geography, Environment, & Society University of Minnesota 26719th Avenue South, 414 Social Sciences Building Minneapolis Minnesota 55455 USA
| | - Evan R. Larson
- Department of Geography University of Wisconsin‐Platteville 1 University Plaza Platteville Wisconsin 53818 USA
| | - Lane B. Johnson
- Cloquet Forestry Center University of Minnesota 175 University Road Cloquet Minnesota 55720 USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Schneider
- Department of Geography, Environment, & Society University of Minnesota 26719th Avenue South, 414 Social Sciences Building Minneapolis Minnesota 55455 USA
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5
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Roos CI, Swetnam TW, Ferguson TJ, Liebmann MJ, Loehman RA, Welch JR, Margolis EQ, Guiterman CH, Hockaday WC, Aiuvalasit MJ, Battillo J, Farella J, Kiahtipes CA. Native American fire management at an ancient wildland-urban interface in the Southwest United States. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2018733118. [PMID: 33468651 PMCID: PMC7848524 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018733118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The intersection of expanding human development and wildland landscapes-the "wildland-urban interface" or WUI-is one of the most vexing contexts for fire management because it involves complex interacting systems of people and nature. Here, we document the dynamism and stability of an ancient WUI that was apparently sustainable for more than 500 y. We combine ethnography, archaeology, paleoecology, and ecological modeling to infer intensive wood and fire use by Native American ancestors of Jemez Pueblo and the consequences on fire size, fire-climate relationships, and fire intensity. Initial settlement of northern New Mexico by Jemez farmers increased fire activity within an already dynamic landscape that experienced frequent fires. Wood harvesting for domestic fuel and architectural uses and abundant, small, patchy fires created a landscape that burned often but only rarely burned extensively. Depopulation of the forested landscape due to Spanish colonial impacts resulted in a rebound of fuels accompanied by the return of widely spreading, frequent surface fires. The sequence of more than 500 y of perennial small fires and wood collecting followed by frequent "free-range" wildland surface fires made the landscape resistant to extreme fire behavior, even when climate was conducive and surface fires were large. The ancient Jemez WUI offers an alternative model for fire management in modern WUI in the western United States, and possibly other settings where local management of woody fuels through use (domestic wood collecting) coupled with small prescribed fires may make these communities both self-reliant and more resilient to wildfire hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher I Roos
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75205;
| | - Thomas W Swetnam
- Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - T J Ferguson
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | | | - Rachel A Loehman
- US Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK 99508
| | - John R Welch
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
- Archaeology Southwest, Tucson, AZ 85701
| | - Ellis Q Margolis
- New Mexico Field Station, Fort Collins Science Center, US Geological Survey, Santa Fe, NM 87508
| | | | | | - Michael J Aiuvalasit
- Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820
| | - Jenna Battillo
- Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75205
| | - Joshua Farella
- University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
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