Centering Indigenous Voices

For many generations, Indigenous communities across North America have used fire to help manage landscapes. In the Boreal Forest, Indigenous peoples used fire to create and maintain meadows, openings of grasslands, to promote the growth (or extend the growing season) of berries and other medicinal plants. 

In documenting the burning practices of Indigenous communities, Christianson et al. (2022) drew from historical literature and interviews with Elders, highlighting the relationship between fire and Indigenous peoples of North America. Western researchers describe the role of fire as an agent of change, with the ability to alter surrounding landscapes, Christianson et al. (2022) highlight other uses, such as those of the Bigstone Cree Nation and Fort McKay First Nation who use fire to promote medicines and keep small waterways and trails open. Christianson et al. (2022) highlight the use of Indigenous knowledge to help guide forest management practices, as they identify cultural burnings lead to a reduction in overall wildfire risks. Learn more about the diverse Indigenous relationships with fire here. 

          Predicting Wetland Permanence

Pothole wetlands, found in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) extending through Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and parts of the United States provide, ecosystem services such as water filtration and regulation during periods of drought and floods. Wetland permeance, the ability of a wetland to remain unchanged, is an important predictor of a pothole wetland's potential to perform its ecosystem functions. Accurately predicting wetland permanence using climate patterns, topography (elevation changes on the landscape), and considering land use activities such as agriculture, can help us understand how pothole wetlands will respond to climate change, and how the ecosystem services the PPR provides will be affected. 

Considering climate, topography and land use, Daniel et al. (2022) aimed to identify which factor most accurately predicts the stability of Alberta's PPR. Daniel et al. (2022) found climate was the best predictor of wetland permanence in the Parkland and Grassland natural regions, as these semi-arid climates have a higher sensitivity to climactic changes, such as drought. Daniel et al. (2022) then compared the PPR with regions such as the southern Boreal Forest Natural Region, where topography was found to be the best predictor. Learn more here.