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In: burn, dendrochronology, Duluth, Evan Larson, fire, indigenous, Melonee Montano, Minnesota Point, pine, prescribed burning, scar, sea grant funded, Superior, TEK, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Wisconsin Point, wood

Research into centuries-old fire-scarred trees in northern Wisconsin is helping shape current fire management practices for tribal and state partners. The project, We are all gathering around the fire, or Nimaawanji’idimin giiwitaashkodeng in Anishinaabemowin, combines dendrochronology, Native Experiential Knowledge (NEK), and community engagement to uncover the intertwined ecological and cultural history of this Lake Superior coastal landscape.

The two-year Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded project, featured in a new video, confirmed something long known in Indigenous communities but rarely acknowledged in scientific literature: the beloved red pine forests on Wisconsin and Minnesota Points were not shaped by nature alone, but by people who used fire to care for the landscape. Red pine struggles to produce new generations without fire.

Aerial photo of Wisconsin and Minnesota Point, two peninsulas in Lake Superior.

Wisconsin and Minnesota Points are Lake Superior coastal peninsulas off the shores of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.

Evan Larson uses a belt sander in his workshop.

Dendrochronologist and Professor Evan Larson sands a wood sample to get it ready for the microscope.

The exclusion of Indigenous perspectives and burning practices in the forest management has led to reduced ecosystem resiliency, biodiversity, and a drop in the pine tree population. In order to prove that people, and not natural phenomena like lightning, set fires to the landscape, the team looked for centuries-old fire scars from tree samples collected on the Points. The data confirm what the team expected.

“The fires on both Points ceased abruptly after the signing of the 1842 and 1854 treaties,” said Evan Larson, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. “It is undeniable that the reason that we love the Points and protected the pine forest is because of the fires that people were setting,” Larson said. “That act of ‘protecting’ – moving people out of that space – is literally dooming the things that we’re hoping to protect.”​

After two years of research, engagement, and outreach, the team has shown the importance of fire and NEK to Wisconsin and Minnesota Points. This has allowed them to take important steps to return cultural fire to the landscape.

Melonee Montano smiles.

Melonee Montano, project leader and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Forestry Department graduate student, talks about the deep significance that Wisconsin and Minnesota Points hold to the Anishinaabe people.

A pine forest on Wisconsin Point.

Fire helps red pines, like the ones pictured here on Wisconsin Point, regenerate.

“One thing that has made this research extremely successful is the funding from Wisconsin Sea Grant, because that’s been our starting point for all of this,” says project and tribal leader Melonee Montano. Throughout the project, Larson, Montano, and their students talked to local residents about the history of fire and the possibility of returning it. “The funding made it possible for us to go out and actually build these relationships on the ground, in people’s homes, at their kitchen tables, and at the city meetings.”

Larson and Montano have been surprised by the amount of support they’ve gotten from the community. “Through this work, we’re seeing, in ways that I can’t put into words, that it’s time for fire to come back,” says Montano. The city of Superior is now in advanced discussions with fire experts from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa about burning practices on Wisconsin Point.

“A lot of this really has only been possible because of this grant, which is really weird for my mind to process,” reflects Montano. “It’s strange to think that it took a grant – a piece of paper, some money – to bring these folks together to actually start tearing down through the layers of trauma to figure out what is at the base and what really happened.”

While the Sea Grant funding has come to a close, the team continues their work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. They will be broadening their research to encompass the whole Great Lakes region.  

Watch the video here.

The post Watch: How tree rings and community conversations are bringing fire back first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/watch-how-tree-rings-and-community-conversations-are-bringing-fire-back/

Bonnie Willison

On:
In: Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing, Evan Larson, Ishkode: A story of fire book, Melonee Montano, Moira Villiard., Ojiwe use of fire, prescribed burning, Robin Wall Kimmerer, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

A Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded research project about the role fire historically played on Wisconsin and Minnesota points along Lake Superior is the topic of a new children’s book.

“Ishkode: A Story of Fire” was authored by research project managers Evan Larson and Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano with a forward by Robin Wall Kimmerer. It features illustrations by Moira Villiard and was published by Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing of Wisconsin. The story invites readers into a stand of ancient red pines where a grandmother red pine, who has witnessed centuries of connection between people, fire and the land, guides a young woman toward healing and renewal.

“The book is a celebration of hope, healing and lessons we can learn from the land,” said Larson, a professor in the department of environmental sciences and society and a dendrochronologist with the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. He said the book emerged from over a decade of collaboration among Great Lakes researchers and community members. “‘Ishkode: A Story of Fire’ intertwines Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge to share a story of the deep, long-term relationships among people, fire and pines—and the wider web of life in Great Lakes ecosystems, including blueberries,” Larson said.

“The Anishinaabe used fire for ceremonies, to promote plant growth, and to care of the land,” said Montano, a Red Cliff tribal member and a University of Minnesota graduate student who is managing the research project with Larson. “The intentional, controlled use of fire by people shapes fire history in the region. Our book brings these connections to light.”

Larson added, “Our intent was to share the lessons we learned through this work, not just scientists and managers, but also children. When we first started talking about creating this book, I had a vision in my mind’s eye of a grandmother or parent reading to a child, and in that way, starting to rekindle the stories around fire that have been shared for generations. This is one way we can help rebuild a positive relationship with fire as a society – from the ground up with our children, creating opportunities for generations to come to recognize fire as an important part of Great Lakes landscapes and cultures.”

More information about the Ishkode project can be found here. “Ishkode: A Story of Fire” is available in hard cover for $17.95 from Black Bears and Blueberries Publishing.

The post Sea Grant research project inspires children’s book first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-research-project-inspires-childrens-book/

Marie Zhuikov