Canada

Led by the Simgigyet’m Gitanyow (Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs), the plan to bring cultural fire back to the land is guided by Gwelx ye’enst — the rights and responsibilities to sustainably pass on the land from one generation to the next — and part of the nation’s work to protect the territory. Vegh says she’s been waiting more than 30 years to see fire returned to Gitanyow lax’yip — and the land has been waiting far longer. She talks about depleted huckleberry patches, like a nearby spot that used to be one of her go-to locations for harvesting.

“That place has become non-productive, because of lack of fire,” she says. “The berries are still there but they’re small and sour. Some water and ash, that’s what they really need right now.”

In the burn site, it’s easy to see the effects of drought and decades of fire suppression. The few huckleberry bushes tucked in amongst the stands of trees are dry and scraggly and the land feels parched after a winter of little snow. The air is dusty and the forest floor crunches under the boots of the firefighters as they prepare for the fire.