If you’ve followed our work, you’ve probably heard about my friend and colleague, Will Harling, who is a leader in bringing community-based prescribed fire back to the Klamath River after a century of fire exclusion and criminalization of native burning by local tribes. Locals on the River have been through a lot of fire, and often know a lot more about how fire works in their landscape than do the firefighters who are brought in from near and far when large fires burn in the Klamath (this has happened almost every year between 2013 and now).
In this talk, Will shares lessons learned, successes, and failures, and his thoughts on how people in other rural, fire-prone areas of the country might adopt some of what they have learned in the Klamath country in the past two decades.
Summary
Will Harling discussed the restoration of fire ecology in the Klamath Basin through cultural burning and prescribed fire. He highlighted the success of the Western Klamath Restoration Partnership, which brought together diverse stakeholders to manage fire at the landscape scale. Harling emphasized the importance of shared values, such as sustainable economies and cultural vitality, in achieving collaboration. He shared examples of effective burn projects, including the Somes Bar and Orleans Valley initiatives, and the impact of fire exclusion on salmon populations. Harling also addressed the challenges of fire management, including smoke management and firefighter safety, and called for continued political will and community support to restore fire to the landscape.