Overcoming the barriers to the use of traditional burning knowledge for forest fire prevention in British Columbia

The increasing severity of forest fires in British Columbia is proving to be a crucial issue facing British Columbians as well as policymakers. In addition to improving methods of fire suppression, prevention strategies are also critical in addressing this problem. Prescribed burning has proven to be an effective practice in both limiting the impacts of damaging wildfires and sustaining ecosystem biodiversity. Indigenous communities have long and extensive experience conducting traditional burns. Despite their knowledge and experience, Indigenous practitioners have faced numerous barriers to reviving traditional burning. The goal of this paper is to identify these barriers and to explore how they can be overcome in partnership with Indigenous communities. A jurisdictional scan, a media scan, and expert interviews have helped us develop three policy options that would support the increased use of traditional burning across the province. An analysis of these policy options concludes with two options being recommended for implementation by policymakers.