Decolonization Series: How Wildfires Expose Underlying Water Tensions and Cultural Loss

By Lauren Ballesteros-Watanabe, Chapter Organizer | Reading time: 5 minutes

Since the late 1700s, Native Americans across California and other states faced systematic suppression of their cultural practices, including controlled fire burning. Yet, for over 13,000 years, tribes such as the Hupa, Karuk, Miwok, and Yurok have employed controlled burns to steward northern and central California's landscapes. These low-intensity fires fostered biodiverse habitats, creating the ecological richness California is celebrated for today. Species like acorns and huckleberries became intrinsically tied to these deliberate burns, yet they are ill-suited to endure the high-intensity wildfires now common in the state.

Photo: Forestry Australia

Prescribed Burns and Sustainability

Prescribed burns implemented by the Yurok and Karuk in tanoak groves yield myriad benefits. Beyond reducing forest floor fuels that could spark high-intensity wildfires, these burns clear invasive plants that disrupt salmon habitats. They also open space for elk, berries, and acorns, all essential dietary staples, while supporting the cultivation of medicinal herbs and hazel grasses used in traditional basket-weaving.

This holistic approach demonstrates how Indigenous fire stewardship not only mitigates wildfire risks but also restores ecosystems critical to community well-being and cultural traditions.

The Systemic Challenges: Water Scarcity and Wildfire Zones

California’s water crises and poor land management exacerbate wildfire impacts. Despite laws protecting water as a resource for all, the allocation of permits and licenses often prioritizes industrial and urban interests over equitable access. The devastating Palisades Fire in Los Angeles underscored systemic failures when water tanks meant to support firefighting efforts were depleted within hours. This shortage, experts argue, is symptomatic of an infrastructure ill-prepared for climate change-fueled disasters. However, this policy issue is not to be confused with disinformation being spread by some Republicans.

Within seven hours of the Palisades Fire igniting on the west side of the city, Janisse Quiñones, CEO of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said one of three million-gallon tankers available to fill the neighborhood’s hydrants had been bled dry. The next was finished later that evening; the final one reached empty in the early hours of Wednesday. But experts say this failure isn’t easily pinned on one issue or failure—instead, it’s the foreseeable result of a system that was never ready for the sort of climate change-fueled fires we now face in urban areas.

Over the past decade, California has experienced historic drought conditions, which have resulted in water-restricting policies. And while the past two rainy winters have offered some reprieve in Southern California, 2025 has been off to a record-dry start. Climate scientist Daniel Swain referred to this swing between extreme rain and drought as “hydroclimate whiplash,” which his research found is exacerbated by global warming.

While this boom-bust precipitation cycle creates particularly dangerous conditions for fires, it has allowed for California to see its previously shrinking water reserves fill in recent months. So while drought has been a persistent problem in Southern California, it wasn't behind the cause of the city's water shortages. It also can’t be chalked up to restrictions protecting the endangered Delta smelt, a tiny fish that has proved to be a perennially politically popular scapegoat for water issues. The fish’s protected status limits water usage in its Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta habitat, which some have argued should be freed up for human consumption. Quiñones instead explained it as an issue of access.

Adding to this crisis is a persistent disregard for fire-prone zones. Driven by demand for real estate, rebuilding continues in areas highly susceptible to wildfires, despite warnings from scientists and ecologists. This underscores the urgent need to rethink urban planning and prioritize resilient, sustainable land use.

Indigenous Knowledge in Modern Fire Management

Amidst these challenges, Indigenous fire practitioners are being recognized as invaluable contributors to California's fire management strategies. Equipped with generations of knowledge, these practitioners understand the nuances of when, where, and how to light fires for maximum ecological benefit.

Native American fire practitioners have become integral part of California’s new Wildfire Task Force thanks to their wealth of knowledge on successful burns. They know when to start a fire, and under what conditions. They know what time of year, and what time of day is best. They also know what types of fires to burn for different types of land – how long to burn and how frequently. “It’s not a wildfire where there’s white ash and red earth,” explains Ron Goode, a North Fork Mono Tribe leader. “Unlike more severe fires that put carbon back out into the atmosphere as a gas, when we create a low intensity burn it creates charcoal. That charcoal is that carbon locked into the soil, not out in the atmosphere.” “It’s a very gentle fire that will ultimately improve soil health, moisture and infiltration,” he added. The change won’t be immediate, Hankins cautions. It will take at least a decade before the normalization of cultural burns leads to visible change – like the growth of flowers and bulb plants, along with a decrease in wildfires, he says.

Rebuilding Knowledge and Partnerships

Years of suppression have severed many tribal communities from their ancestral fire practices, necessitating a deliberate process of relearning. “Reconnecting to fire knowledge isn’t like flipping a switch,” says cultural fire practitioner Margo Hankins. “It requires capacity-building, collaboration with neighbors, agencies, and the public, and a commitment to making cultural burns widespread again.”

To this end, tribes are partnering with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to train firefighters in cultural burning techniques. These training sessions provide firsthand learning from tribal leaders about the ecological and cultural significance of fire. Len Nielson, Cal Fire’s staff chief, emphasizes that these efforts are critical for integrating traditional practices into modern fire management.

The Intersection of California and Lahaina Wildfires

The devastating wildfires in California and the recent Lahaina wildfires in Hawai‘i reveal deep systemic issues rooted in water access, land management, and the displacement of cultural practices. Both events highlight how colonial histories have disrupted Indigenous stewardship of land and water, exacerbating vulnerabilities in the face of climate change.

In California, a long history of water privatization and industrial appropriation has prioritized urban and agricultural interests, sidelining sustainable and equitable water use. Similarly, in Lahaina, corporate water theft and land mismanagement—a legacy of plantation economies—have undermined community resilience. Both cases expose how access to water, essential for life and fire mitigation, remains a battleground.

Cultural displacement plays a parallel role in both regions. In Hawai‘i, centuries of land dispossession have disrupted Indigenous practices like lo‘i kalo (taro farming) and mālama ‘āina (caring for the land), which once maintained balance in local ecosystems. Likewise, in California, the suppression of traditional fire practices has led to the loss of ecological knowledge vital for mitigating wildfire risks.

The consequences of these displacements are stark: ecosystems are less resilient, communities face greater risks, and the wisdom of land stewardship—honed over millennia—is eroded. However, both California and Hawai‘i are witnessing a resurgence of Indigenous-led solutions. In Lahaina, efforts to restore Indigenous water rights and traditional agriculture mirror California’s integration of cultural burns into wildfire management. These movements underscore the critical role of Indigenous knowledge in addressing the intertwined crises of water, land, and climate resilience.

Preparing for an Uncertain Future

Climate scientists warn that even if fossil fuel emissions ceased tomorrow, the planet would continue to warm due to existing greenhouse gases. This reality calls for urgent systemic change and a reimagining of our relationship with the land. As David Wallace-Wells writes in The Uninhabitable Earth, “the extremes we now experience will only escalate, requiring radical shifts in how we prepare for a future without a ‘new normal.’”

Indigenous-led climate solutions offer a path forward, rooted in restoration and resilience. By returning land stewardship to those who understand its rhythms and needs, we can rebuild ecosystems and communities in harmony with nature. The time to act is now—to look to the wisdom of the past to forge a sustainable, equitable future.