Packard Trustee Chair in Law at the USC Gould School of Law. “This is a great example of contemporary law actively - finally - incorporating traditional Indigenous knowledge into modern resilience,” said Robin Craig, an expert in environmental law and the Robert C. This initiative is a significant departure from complete fire suppression, an approach originally introduced by European settlers. Last year, the state of California adopted a strategic plan for wildfire resilience with the goal of expanding prescribed burns to 400,000 acres annually by 2025. It is those practices, which are likely done best at the community and even neighborhood level, that will be case studies of effective responses to and after fire.”Ĭalifornia reconsiders its relationship with fireĬalifornia’s fire regulations, which evolved over time, have often mirrored the tension between traditional practices and modern firefighting approaches. “Indigenous and community-based practices, ordinances and rules about fire mitigation, hardscaping, brush and other fuel removal, building material prohibitions - these are all good things in landscapes rendered vulnerable to wildfire. “The recognition that controlled burning is a useful tool is rising, as it should,” said William Deverell, professor of history, spatial sciences and environmental studies at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. And the evidence comes from an unlikely source: artificial intelligence. Policymakers are finally learning what Native American tribes have long understood: Fire can be good. The accumulation of overgrown underbrush - fire fuel - and the devastating impacts of climate change are making wildfires more frequent and severe across the West and around the world. Modern fire suppression policies and urban development disrupted these natural processes. These deliberate, low-intensity fires helped maintain ecological balance in the region by reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires, promoting biodiversity and supporting the growth of native plant species and food sources. (Photo/Ty O’Neil, The Associated Press)įor centuries, Native American tribes used cultural and controlled burns to nurture healthy ecosystems. Joshua trees burn during the York Fire in the Mojave National Preserve in July. Experts – including USC Gould's Robin Craig – explore traditional and modern methods for building wildfire resilience in a burning world

Does burn evolved work