Building forest fire resilient landscapes in Canada: learning from the elders
Wildfire Resilient Landscapes Network Indigenous knowledge sessions
The Whitefeather Forest Initiative training programme for young Pikangikum firefighters continues. In June, Indigenous knowledge sessions took place against the backdrop of fires raging just a few hundred kilometers from the community centre. The smell of smoke permeated the air and pieces of ash and soot constantly rained from the sky. This inescapable reality elevated the sense of urgency and the weight of the training.
Trainees had the opportunity to listen to elders speak in Ojibwe about their experience on the fire. They also had the chance to ask them questions such as “What was the biggest fire you ever worked on?”, “What is camp like?”, “What did you do when you were scared?”, “How do you take care of mental health on fires?” amongst many more.
Read more on the Whitefeather Forest Initiative website
The Whitefeather Forest Initiative is a member of the Wildfire Resilient Landscapes Network, a joint initiative between the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance and the Commonwealth Secretariat which aims to connect and share unique indigenous and community knowledge and experience in wildfire management with scientific knowledge and tools. WFI is excited to share learnings from the Indigenous knowledge sessions and the firefighter trainings with the larger global community in the network soon.
