Indigenous people in Saskatchewan and elsewhere used controlled burns to limit the damage from forest fires, but they are now burning hotter and pose danger.
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Once I was visiting Stanley Mission and there was a forest fire about 20 miles away. Nobody was too concerned because during the summer fires were a common occurrence.
One man mentioned to me that he hoped that it would come close to the community, so they would get lots of firewood and in a few years good blueberry picking.
Those were the good old days. Today, if a fire approaches a community the people are evacuated, and others are sent out to fight it. The nature of forest fires has changed considerably.
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Today, we are faced with climate change and global warming, making forests burn easier. The northern boreal forests evolved over centuries for a certain temperature and climate model. Now they are in peril.
The damage done to the town of Jasper was caused by a pyroCb, a firestorm created when the temperature, winds and fuel all reach a critical point. In the past, a pyroCb was practically unheard of. Today as the climate changes, it’s becoming more common.
Once a fire reaches this point, it is impossible to stop.
Climate change is changing the landscape and insects and new species are moving north and surviving in a warmer climate. We are seeing skunks and raccoons moving further north competing with the local species.
An example is the pine beetle that has decimated forests throughout Canada. A year ago, we drove through Jasper Park, and we were struck by the loss of trees because of the pine beetle. Whole mountainsides were brown from dead trees, and they were drying out, becoming fuel for potential fires.
The blame shouldn’t be on the beetles because they are doing what they evolved to do. The problem is that they’re a product of climate change — previously the cold winters killed them off. Now they survive because of the warmer winters and can spread throughout the forest.
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Our people have been aware of the changing climate for years. Our people who make their living off the land tell stories of freeze-up coming later and ice remaining dangerously thin when it should be safe. They also see the devastation done by forest fires.
Now they are burning hotter and doing damage to the soil. In the past, forest fires were a part of the forest ecosystem, clearing out old growth forest for new growth and creating the biodiversity necessary for a healthy forest.
In the past, a forest area might burn once a century, creating mature trees. Now it has been estimated that at the rate that forest fires are increasing, forests may burn every 50 years. If that becomes the case, there will be very little harvestable timber available.
When the early European explorers came to the Americas, they saw forested areas that were groomed and maintained by the Indigenous people. By setting fire to the dead undergrowth in the springtime, they were able to stage a controlled burn, saving the mature trees.
These areas were able to withstand the onslaught of a forest fire later in the summer. In this manner the Indigenous people were able to save their camping spots and other gathering places.
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They were also able to create areas for grazing animals. Indigenous knowledge was a valuable part of the ecosystem. Our people lived within nature and considered themselves a part of the ecosystem. The European view was to conquer nature, which they attempted, but with disastrous results.
In Saskatchewan and Alberta, both premiers Scott Moe and Danielle Smith remain blind to the facts and continue to encourage fossil fuel extraction and use as well as deforestation. They tip toe around the elephant in the room and continue to encourage the burning of fossil fuels.
Moe plans more natural gas power plants that will emit a steady stream of carbon dioxide into the air. He encourages high school students to go into the oil industry and fails to see the value of putting a price on carbon.
Instead, we need more electric vehicles, wind and solar power generation and less use of hydrocarbons. We need governments and politicians that keep future generations in mind as we build for the future.
Doug Cuthand is the Indigenous affairs columnist for the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and the Regina Leader-Post. He is a member of the Little Pine First Nation.
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