Fires have shaped the original landscape for thousands of years. Fire is woven into the ecological history of native grasslands, oak prairies, longleaf pine forests, and ecosystems around the world. Before settler colonialism, the indigenous people of North America used fire as a tool to care for the land, to promote new growth and restore soil fertility. Although the beneficial role of fire has been obscured by the erasure of indigenous land management practices, fire has always had an important place in our environment. (LOGAN RANCEA)