Yet the lack of fire caused by fire suppression practices can be just as damaging to biodiversity. Fire plays an important role in the health of our habitats and, without it, many plant and animal species that depend on periodic fire would disappear. Prescribed burns have been shown to increase biodiversity and maintain the health and sustainability of many natural habitats.

We're working to change the status quo by supporting local community leaders, sponsoring innovative fire training opportunities, and assisting federal and state agencies in transitioning to more proactive vs reactive fire management approaches.

Enduring change is only possible if communities envision and ‘own’ their wildfire work. Successful, sustainable solutions for improving our relationship with fire require a range of different perspectives at all geographic scales. Often, the best strategies are developed and implemented locally. We believe in supporting communities—for example, with peer support, trainings or funding for workshops—to empower themselves to address their fire-related challenges.

Examples: The Fire Adapted Communities Learning Networkand the Fire Learning Network.

Policies of exclusion have led to the destructive wildfires we see today. Two examples are removing traditional burning practices and failing to consider local needs in land and fire management decisions. Through the Fire Learning Network and the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network, we support community-based, collaborative efforts to increase ecosystem resilience and support fire-dependent cultures.