The Adoption of Controlled Fire in Alberta: Shaping the Grasslands with Skill and Stewardship
History is filled with examples of humankind learning to work with nature rather than against it, to forge a relationship that, when approached with understanding and care, creates a harmony that transcends generations. In Alberta, long before European settlement brought its own definitions of agriculture and land use, Indigenous peoples had already mastered a profound and sophisticated form of environmental management: the controlled use of fire. What might seem to the untrained eye as untamed wilderness was, in reality, the product of millennia of Indigenous stewardship, guided by an intricate understanding of the land, its cycles, and its needs. Fire was not an enemy to be feared but a tool to be wielded with respect, one that shaped Alberta’s vast grasslands, fostered biodiversity, and sustained the bison herds that were the foundation of Plains life.
The Indigenous use of fire in Alberta stretches back into the prehistoric period, a practice born from necessity and deep observation. The prairie grasslands, so iconic in the province’s southern regions, were not naturally eternal, for without intervention they would gradually give way to encroaching shrubs, trees, and other woody vegetation. Fire was the answer to this slow transformation. By intentionally burning sections of the landscape, Indigenous groups ensured that the grasslands remained open and fertile, providing fresh growth that would attract and sustain bison — the lifeblood of Plains cultures. As historian Nancy J. Turner noted in “The Earth’s Blanket: Traditional Teachings for Sustainable Living,” Indigenous peoples did not see fire as destruction but as renewal: “Fire was a tool for shaping the land, a cycle of death that brought life.”
To appreciate the significance of controlled burning, one must first understand the role of the bison in Indigenous life. For the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Cree, the Nakota Sioux, and other Plains nations, the bison was everything — food, shelter, tools, and spirituality. A single successful hunt could sustain a community for months, and so the movements of the herds dictated the rhythms of life. Bison, however, were not arbitrary in their migrations. They sought out the tender, nutrient-rich shoots of grass that sprouted in areas where fire had cleared away the old growth. Indigenous peoples observed this behaviour and realized that by using fire strategically, they could encourage the herds to return to specific areas, ensuring a steady supply of bison. It was, in many ways, the first form of rangeland management, a practice so subtle and sophisticated that it would not be fully recognized by settlers for centuries.
Jack Brink, in his seminal work “Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains,” describes this relationship between fire and bison as “a delicate dance of nature and culture.” He writes, “The Indigenous peoples of the Plains understood fire not as a weapon but as a partner — something that, when used wisely, sustained both the land and the life it supported.” Fire allowed for the creation of mosaic landscapes: patches of newly burned grasslands interspersed with older, unburned areas, which together provided habitat for a wide range of plants and animals. These controlled burns also reduced the buildup of dead vegetation, lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfires that could devastate the land and its inhabitants.
The process of controlled burning was both practical and spiritual. Fires were set at specific times of year, often in early spring or late fall, when conditions were optimal for low-intensity burns. Elders and knowledge keepers guided these practices, drawing on generations of experience to determine where and when to burn. The fires were small, controlled, and carefully monitored, their purpose clear and their effects known. This was not random burning but an act of stewardship that reflected a deep understanding of the environment. As historian Winona LaDuke explains in “Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming,” fire was used with intention and care, “a reflection of a worldview where humans were not masters of the land but its caretakers, charged with maintaining balance and harmony.”
The benefits of controlled burning extended far beyond the bison herds. The new grass growth encouraged by fire provided food for other animals, including deer, elk, and smaller mammals. Birds thrived in the open grasslands, and plant species that depended on periodic fire to germinate were given new life. Fire created a dynamic ecosystem where diversity flourished, ensuring that the land remained healthy and productive. Some of the plants that emerged after burning were also important to Indigenous peoples for medicinal and nutritional purposes. The practice of controlled fire was thus a form of early ecological engineering, one that sustained not only human life but the broader web of existence in which humans were embedded.
In Alberta’s northern and central regions, where forests and parklands replaced the open prairies, fire played a similar but slightly different role. The Dene and Cree peoples of these regions used fire to clear underbrush, open up pathways for travel, and encourage the growth of plants such as berries, which thrived in fire-cleared areas. Fire also helped manage wildlife populations, improving habitat for moose, deer, and other game animals. These practices reveal a remarkable understanding of the interdependence between fire, plants, and animals — a knowledge base developed over countless generations of living with and observing the land.
The arrival of Europeans brought dramatic changes to Alberta’s ecosystems and Indigenous practices. Settlers, unfamiliar with the role of fire in maintaining the grasslands, viewed it as a destructive force and sought to suppress it. The shift toward agriculture and settlement further disrupted the natural cycles that Indigenous peoples had maintained for millennia. The consequences were profound. Without regular, controlled burns, the grasslands began to shrink, replaced by encroaching shrubs and trees. Bison populations, already in decline due to overhunting, lost critical grazing lands, and the balance that Indigenous fire practices had upheld for centuries was thrown into disarray.
In recent decades, historians, ecologists, and Indigenous knowledge keepers have worked to recover and recognize the importance of traditional fire practices. Controlled burns are now understood as a form of “cultural burning” — a deliberate and necessary intervention that maintains ecological health and diversity. As historian M. Kat Anderson writes in “Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources,” “Indigenous fire management was not primitive; it was science, rooted in observation, experimentation, and respect for the land.” In Alberta, efforts to reintroduce controlled burning reflect a growing recognition of the wisdom inherent in these ancient practices.
The story of controlled fire in Alberta is, at its heart, a story of stewardship — of peoples who understood that their survival depended not on the conquest of the land but on their ability to work with it. It is a story of observation, of careful management, and of a profound respect for the interconnections that sustain life. Fire, wielded with knowledge and care, was not a destroyer but a giver of life, a tool that shaped Alberta’s landscapes into ecosystems of abundance and diversity. The grasslands, once renewed by the flames, stand as a testament to the ingenuity of Alberta’s Indigenous nations, who understood long before the modern era that the land is not something to be owned, but something to be cared for.
References:
- Brink, Jack. Imagining Head-Smashed-In: Aboriginal Buffalo Hunting on the Northern Plains. Athabasca University Press, 2008.
- Turner, Nancy J. The Earth’s Blanket: Traditional Teachings for Sustainable Living. Douglas & McIntyre, 2005.
- LaDuke, Winona. Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming. South End Press, 2005.
- Anderson, M. Kat. Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources. University of California Press, 2005.
- Pyne, Stephen J. Fire: A Brief History. University of Washington Press, 2001.
- Lewis, Henry T. “Patterns of Indian Burning in California: Ecology and Ethnohistory.” Ballena Press Anthropological Papers, No. 1, 1973.