Human influence on landscape pattern in the Pacific Region: impacts of burning by First Nations and early European settlers (by John Parminter, Research Branch, Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C. Presented at the Landscape Ecology Symposium, 76th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Division, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Vancouver, B.C. June 20,1995.)

This presentation described recent research demonstrating the widespread use of controlled fire by First Nations. The work of Stephen Barrett and Steve Arno (Barrett 1980, Barrett and Arno 1982) with the Salish and Kootenai tribes in Montana and Idaho confirmed that native prescribed burning was carried out in ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir and western larch forests mainly to:

improve hunting prospects by promoting desirable grasses and shrubs and facilitate the stalking or driving of game

• enhance production of certain foods (mostly berry bushes), as well as special purpose and medicinal plants
• improve horse grazing areas
• clear campsites as a means of reducing the fire hazard and removing the hiding cover which could be used by enemy tribes during an attack
• maintain open forest stands to reduce the threat of wildfire and facilitate travel
• communicate with other groups by setting larger fires, often at higher elevations.

References:
Barrett, Stephen W. 1980. Indians & fire. Western Wildlands 6(3):17 – 21. Spring 1980.
Barrett, Stephen W. and S.F. Arno. 1982. Indian fires as an ecological influence in the northern Rockies. Journal of Forestry 80(10):647 – 651. October 1982.

This extract is taken from botanist David Douglas’ journal for 1826, concerning the Willamette region of Oregon (Douglas 1914):

Most parts of the country burned; only on little patches in the valleys and on the flats near the low hills that verdure is to be seen. Some of the natives tell me it is done for the purpose of urging the deer to frequent certain parts, to feed, which they leave unburned, and of course they are easily killed. Others say that is it done in order that they might the better find wild honey and grasshoppers, which doth serve as articles of winter food.

Douglas, David. 1914. Journal kept by David Douglas during his travels in North America, 1823 – 1827. Published by the Royal Horticultural Society. William Wesley and Son, London, England. 364 p.