For thousands of years before the first non-Native people visited what is now Washington, tribal members used fire to manage the land around them. These burns covered a wide variety of habitats, including forests, aiming for multiple outcomes. The concept of reciprocal nurture, or "taking care" of a place where people lived so that the land could provide for the people in turn, has been part of this fire dynamic since time immemorial. In this pictorial essay for HistoryLink, Spokane author and historian Jack Nisbet explores tribal burning on the west side of the Cascades, from Whidbey Island on Puget Sound to the prairies and river valleys of Southwest Washington. Click on the image of the map above to get started.
More: Images of Tribal Forestry in Eastern Washington
