Aspen Bibliography

Aboriginal burning for vegetation management in Northwest British Columbia

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Human Ecology

Volume

22

Issue

2

First Page

171

Last Page

188

Publication Date

1994

Abstract

The Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en peoples of northwest British Columbia occupy the upper drainage of the Skeena River and the western headwaters of the Fraser River. They live in a region of diverse topography, vegetation, and climate. Berry patch burning was the most important traditional vegetation manipulation. Black huckleberry and lowbush blueberry patches were burned to stimulate growth of new stems and production of berries, while preventing invasion by other shrub species and conifers. Maintenance of berry patches by burning was discontinued in the 1930s and 1940s because of fire suppression by the British Columbia Forest Service. Spring burning on south facing slopes, village sites, and garden sites was also practiced, and continues to the present. It occurs in aspen, pine, or grass dominated seral communities, or cottonwood floodplain forest, and is intended to control brush and encourage growth of grass.

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