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Quiroste Valley, California
A study of California’s Quiroste Valley was conducted using visible plant remains (Macrobotanical), Charcoal or ash (Anthracological), and local ecological data. The study found that the low frequency of lightning in the area, along with the presence of high amounts of grass-like plants and plants which thrive in post fire environments indicates a history of anthropogenic burnings in the area. Two potential factors that were not able to be accounted for in this study was the frequency of lighting in the past, as they assumed it to be similar to modern day lightning frequency and used modern day data for their conclusions, and the potential for a different climate encouraging different plants to grow.

Edits to existing sections:

Fire was used to keep large areas of forest and mountains free of undergrowth for hunting or travel. It also was a tool to help manage natural resources such as food. Fire was also used in warfare for the protection of settlements.

Types of Evidence:

Several forms of evidence are collected when researching the history of cultural fire.


 * Charcoal Data: This includes both observing the frequency and quantity of charcoal in sediment layers but also analysis of the charcoal itself to determine its plant origins
 * Pollen data: Pollen in the sediment is used to determine which plants existed at given times. Pollen is microscopic but it lasts a long time in the soil. When studying fire, researchers observe pollen types and quantity in relation to charcoal in the sediment.
 * Dendroecological data: This is the study of tree rings. Dendrochronology is a method used to determine the age and health of a tree by observing the rings within its trunk. This method can be employed to determine fire frequency because trees will develop burn scars that appear on the rings.

Safety Benefits

Forest management includes but is not limited to controlled burns, Selective thinning and Reforestation. Fire agencies across the US have adopted these tactics. Some are drawing on Native American oral history and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to revive them. Native Americans in California and Australia have known the risk of overgrown forests for millenia and used these tactics to prevent wildfires and encourage beneficial plant growth. Controlled burns help cut back the organic fuel in uncontrolled forests. Native Americans used wood for small scale fires to clear brush from in between the trees of a forest in order to limit the possibility of an uncontrolled forest fire.

Selective thinning allows for old thin trees to be replaced by more Pyrophytic plants or plants that benefit from fire. Pyrophyte vegetation are plants and trees that have formed the ability to resist the effects of fire. Native Americans had a method of forest thinning with their deep understanding of which plants would be at highest risk of burning during fire season. They would dig the plants out and or burn them off individually.

Forest Management History

The benefits of forest management have been seen throughout history and Natives knew the dangers of letting forests become overly dense.

Studies made by U.C Berkeley concluded that fire has greatly influenced forest vegetation over the last few decades. The study started from 1990 until 2014 tracking some of the most destructive wildfires. The study shows that human intervention has always existed regarding forest management and Native people played a vital role in the forest's survival.

Fire was used as a technological tool for Natives and its use in controlled burns and according to Dave Roos an author for the history channel on Native American news he ascertained that fire was viewed as a science. Yosemite is a clear example of how indigenous used controlled burns to clear brush in order to provide nutrient rich soil for woodland crop growth. Fire has always had a medicine type feeling with the indigenous and medicine is best used when it's given at the perfect time.

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Map of North American fire scar network.