On a September day in 2025, about 30 people gather to light a controlled fire in a forest outside Cranbrook to reduce the risk of wildfire. It may sound counterintuitive, but it’s part of a longstanding Indigenous practice.
“My experience with fire started at a young age,” says Chris Joseph, forestry lead at the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation, who is participating in the burn. “We didn’t have a lawnmower, so we used fire to cut the grass around the house. It’s part of the culture.”
The burn is part of a two-week prescribed fire training exchange (TREX) that brings together fire, forestry and land management professionals to learn and share. The training is co-hosted by the BC Wildfire Service and Ktunaxa First Nations with support from the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society.
Indigenous uses of fire are rooted in millennia of traditional knowledge and stewardship. This history continues to inform the use of fire in resource management today.
By carefully applying controlled fire to high-risk areas, teams can reduce built-up forest fuels, such as overgrowth and underbrush, helping prevent more severe wildfires and supporting healthier ecosystems.
“I’d rather be proactive than reactive,” says Chris Johnson from Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it Fire, who participated in B.C.’s first TREX in 2024. “Reactive, you’re out there fighting a fire. Being proactive is what we’re doing here today.”
As wildfires in British Columbia become increasingly common and destructive, the Province and First Nations are expanding prescribed or traditional burning and creating new ways to share knowledge and training, including TREX.
“ I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”
Last year, more than 80 prescribed burns took place in B.C., about a third of them through partnerships with First Nations. Additionally, through the BC FireSmart Committee, the Province and First Nations are supporting prescribedfire.ca, a resource that shares First Nations perspectives on fire stewardship.
“I think that learning and sharing lived experiences related to prescribed burning is really important for those that are involved in fighting fires or planning and managing how fires are dealt with when they do happen,” says Nasuʔkin Cheryl Casimer from the community of ʔaq̓am.
Reducing wildfire risk also supports local economies, particularly during the summer wildfire season. Industries such as tourism, timber harvesting, tree planting and agriculture all benefit from stronger wildfire prevention efforts.
Back in the forest outside Cranbrook, the fire moves slowly through the underbrush, guided by generations of knowledge that continue to protect communities and renew the land.