Indigenous fire stewardship shaped North American Great Lakes forests

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Environmental History
• Indigenous Studies

Background:

• Growing interest in merging Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western Science for climate and landscape resilience.
• Indigenous Knowledge provides deep insights into local landscapes, while Western Science offers understanding of novel ecological conditions.
• Pyrogenic (fire-prone) ecosystems globally can benefit from this integrated approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To combine Indigenous Knowledge with a multicentury fire and land-use history (from tree rings) to reconstruct human engagement with Wisconsin and Minnesota Points.
• To foster reciprocal benefits, disrupt extractive research, and honor Indigenous knowledge by reducing barriers to cultural and land-use practice revitalization.
• To demonstrate the importance of place-based, community-based research in understanding Indigenous fire stewardship's role in shaping ecosystems.

Main Methods:

• Weaving Indigenous Knowledge with multicentury data from tree rings on fire history, land use, and forest development.
• Conducting an intensely local study contextualized by substantial Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science.
• Analyzing fine-scale relationships between Indigenous fire stewardship and regional landscape diversity.

Main Results:

• A more complete history of human engagement with the Lake Superior region (Wisconsin and Minnesota Points) was reconstructed.
• The study illustrates how Indigenous fire stewardship shapes pine barrens sites.
• Fine-scale relationships, potentially invisible to other studies, were linked to regional landscape diversity.

Conclusions:

• Integrating TEK and Western Science is crucial for understanding and restoring ecocultural fire regimes.
• Place-based research centered on Indigenous Knowledge is vital for creating resilient and just socioecological systems.
• Traditional fire-use practices are essential for ecocultural fire restoration in a changing climate.