How Indigenous-Led Efforts are Restoring Wildfire-Impacted Forests
In recent years, B.C. has experienced some of the most destructive wildfire seasons in its history. Warming temperatures, drier conditions, invasive species such as pine beetles and a past ban on Indigenous fire stewardship practices, such as prescribed burns, which has only recently been loosened, have meant forests are less resistant to fires than they once were.
So how do we recover from wildfires and reduce threats in the future? One way is to bring back a more balanced and resilient forest ecosystem for people and wildlife through Indigenous-led restoration, which is exactly what the Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society (SRSS) is doing. This collaboration by several Secwépemc communities was formed after the 2017 wildfires that blazed through 192,725 hectares of traditional Indigenous territory.
To them, restoring forests goes beyond planting trees. Most of the land devastated by wildfires were forests managed to maximize value for commercial logging. SRSS is changing that, using traditional practices that restore mixed forest canopies in a way that benefits communities and wildlife. By planting coniferous and deciduous trees, shrubs and other native plants, the forest can better capture moisture, reducing dry conditions and lowering the risk of wildfires and the intensity of fires, should they start.
Planting native species specifically chosen according to the local climate and growing conditions also offers food and shelter for wildlife, while providing First Nations communities with access to traditional foods and medicines, such as soopolallie (buffalo berry), wild onions and wild strawberries.
The goal is to recover from fire in a way that adheres to Secwépemc values and laws. “This is their way of life. This is their connection to the land. They have all the traditional knowledge of that area, what was previously grown there [and] what the land was utilized for,” Angela Kane, CEO of SRSS, says. “By connecting with Indigenous partners and communities, [we are guided] on how to restore from an Indigenous perspective — one that’s culturally significant.”
With the support of WWF- Canada and our funding partners, SRSS has planted more than 1.1 million trees across 677 hectares of wildfire-impacted forests since 2020. To determine the long-term impact of their efforts, some community members have been trained to measure how much carbon these forests are storing. SRSS is also implementing a native seed collection program and working to increase their nursery to support their goal of scaling up to one million trees annually by 2026.
To learn more, visit wwf.ca/srss.
SRSS is a grantee of WWF-Canada’s Nature and Climate Grant Program, presented in partnership with Aviva Canada. This work is also supported by the Barrett Family Foundation, the Government of Canada through the 2 Billion Trees program, Lowe’s, the Peter Gilgan Foundation, and the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation.
