| Abstract |
Historical and contemporary policies and practices, including the suppression of lightning-ignited fires and the removal of intentional fires ignited by Indigenous peoples, have resulted in over a century of fire exclusion across many of the USA’s landscapes. Within many designated wilderness areas, this intentional exclusion of fire has clearly altered ecological processes and thus constitutes a fundamental and ubiquitous act of trammeling . Through a framework that recognizes four orders of trammeling , we demonstrate the substantial, long-term, and negative effects of fire exclusion on the natural conditions of fire-adapted wilderness ecosystems. In order to un trammel more than a century of fire exclusion, the implementation of active programs of intentional burning may be necessary across some wilderness landscapes. We also suggest greater recognition and accommodation of Indigenous cultural burning, a practice which Tribes used to shape and maintain many fire-adapted landscapes for thousands of years before Euro-American colonization, including landscapes today designated as wilderness. Human-ignited fire may be critical to restoring the natural character of fire-adapted wilderness landscapes and can also support ecocultural restoration efforts sought by Indigenous peoples. |
| Authors |
Clare E. Boerigter  , Sean A. Parks , Jonathan W. Long , Jonathan D. Coop , Melanie Armstrong  , Don L. Hankins
|
| Journal Info |
Springer Science+Business Media | Fire Ecology , vol: 20
, iss: 1
|
| Publication Date |
8/27/2024 |
| ISSN |
1933-9747 |
Type |
article |
| Open Access |
gold
|
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s42408-024-00297-5 |
| Keywords |
Wilderness area (Score: 0.4460163)
|
