The Karuk Tribe of northern California has long practiced fire stewardship in the fire-prone Klamath Mountains. In collaboration with the OSU College of Forestry, researchers from Oregon State University have used 21st-century technology to understand these traditional practices. Through a computer simulation model, researchers were able to uncover how the tribe historically used fire for ecosystem health.
The study, published in Ecological Applications, found that before the arrival of European colonizers, cultural burning was widespread across the landscape. An estimated 6,972 ignitions occurred annually, with an average of 6.5 ignitions per year for each Indigenous fire steward. This research focused on 1,000 square miles of Karuk Aboriginal Territory in the western Klamath Mountains.
OSU scientists collaborated with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources to develop historical estimates for cultural ignition locations, frequency, and timing. Statistical parameters were developed with input from Tribal members and knowledge holders using interviews, historical and contemporary maps, ethnographies, recent ecological studies, and generational knowledge. Skye Greenler highlighted the significance of this research in showcasing the extent of Indigenous cultural stewardship across the landscape.
The findings reveal that Indigenous people have been managing fire for thousands of years in this region and that their practices are critical to maintaining ecosystem health. The results also provide insights into how modern technology can be used to better understand traditional knowledge and practices.
Overall, this study highlights the importance of continued partnerships between indigenous communities and academic institutions to better understand and preserve traditional knowledge and practices.
The Karuk Tribe has a long history of conducting burns in the fire-prone Klamath Mountains. Researchers are now using 21st-century technology to understand these traditional practices of fire stewardship.
Partnering with the Karuk Tribe from Oregon State University (OSU), researchers have used a computer simulation model to uncover how cultural burning was used by Indigenous people for ecosystem health before European colonizers arrived.
Published in Ecological Applications,
the study shows that cultural burning was widespread across landscapes before Europeans arrived.
An estimated 6972 cultural ignitions occurred annually with an average frequency per year per Indigenous fire steward for over 1000 square miles in Karuk Aboriginal Territory located in western Klamath Mountains Northern California.
In collaboration with the Karuk Tribe Department of Natural Resources at OSU scientists developed statistical models that estimate cultural ignition locations frequency and timing based on input from Tribal members and knowledge holders through interviews maps ethnographies ecological studies generational knowledge among others.
Skye Greenler led this partnership as a graduate research fellow at OSU’s College of Forestry when she highlighted