Utoo Radio and Other News Sources, April 29, 2024 - Indigenous communities in northern Alberta are using prescribed burning to mitigate the threat of wildfires by burning stretches of dried-out lands.

This practice, dating back generations, helps protect lands from wildfires and spurs the regrowth of trees, plants, and grasses.

Shane Bair, director of emergency operations and fire chief for the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, said that traditional burning is being lost to many Indigenous communities in Alberta.

West of Beaver Lake Cree Nation, traditional burns are also done at East Prairie Métis Settlement, which was ravaged by wildfires in 2023.

The settlement used to do their own burning as soon as it dried up, but wildfires caused about 20 homes to be lost in 2023. Beaver Lake Cree Nation and East Prairie Métis Settlement have yet to be hit by fire this year but are working with Alberta Wildfire to burn stretches of land at risk of catching fire.

Last week, Beaver Lake Cree Nation had a control burn on their cultural grounds, which was dry and needed to be burned off. The Beaver Lake Cree Nation fire department launched in December 2022, starting with four volunteer firefighters. Within months, the community was hit by one of the worst wildfire seasons in the province's history.

The Government of Alberta works with communities across the province to identify areas that could benefit from a prescribed burn, but sometimes elements in the environment can prevent further burns.

Some communities, like East Prairie Métis Settlement, want more areas of their community burned, and they must step up and burn stretches of dry land themselves to save their own community.