Cultural burning

Cultural burning is the process of using prescribed burns by Indigenous peoples to manage landscapes that they have historically occupied. This practice created a relationship between the land and the people so strong that the local flora became dependent on patterned burnings. The practice elevated the Indigenous peoples to a keystone species of their respective environments as the interspecies connections strengthened over time, which may explain why Indigenous people still manage over 50% of all ecological reserves.

Specifically, the Native American use of fire in ecosystems has been well documented, as well as the utilization of fire-stick farming by the Indigenous peoples of Australia. Besides the ecological function, there is a strong cultural aspect. Species most adapted to the burns are also ones most used by the Indigenous peoples, such as California black oak. Lands historically occupied by Indigenous peoples have become attuned to this process of low frequent burns, but not all environments are adjusted to this management. Cultural burns need to occur regularly and can be adapted to different microclimates in order to improve the efficacy of the practice.