First Nations' Prescribed Burning in British Columbia

Abstract

The Indigenous peoples of British Columbia (BC) have a long and deep tradition of cultural burning. It was an important component of many of BC’s ecosystems until colonial authorities systematically discouraged the practice from the 1870s onwards. Eventually the beneficial role of fire was recognized, particularly in dry interior (NDT 4) ecosystems. To help validate those traditional practices, this article draws on settler and Indigenous accounts of First Nations cultural burning in BC.