Returning Cultural Burns to a Parched Okanagan Landscape  

Long before settler colonialism, syilx Okanagan people would regularly conduct low-intensity controlled burns, carefully planned to maintain and replenish the health of the land and the tmixʷ (all living things). Viewing fire as a medicine, this method of burning forests and grasslands, known today as prescribed, controlled, cultural or traditional burns, also limited the threat of wildfires blazing out of control. 

But with colonialism came the gradual suppression of fire from the landscape, as settlers in syilx Okanagan territories favoured reactionary wildfire-suppression strategies. This approach came at a cost, leading to an extreme buildup of dry fuels and vegetation cover in fire-prone areas that have resulted in unhealthy forests more likely to burn uncontrollably. 

All those factors, combined with drier conditions brought on by climate change, have led to the devastating wildfires experienced in recent years, further causing a decline in animal population. Thankfully, many organizations have been leading proactive wildfire risk reduction work to help better protect communities. One such organization is Ntityix Resources LP (Ntityix), owned by Westbank First Nation (WFN). 

In addition to caring for the forest, the many values it holds, and for those who enjoy it, Ntityix believes they also have a responsibility to their neighbours who may be affected by the activities that occur in the forests they manage. Their wildfire mitigation projects within Westbank First Nation’s community forest, for example, have shown to be effective in reducing those impacts. Earlier treatments in the Glenrosa area, including pruning tree branches and creating more space between trees, kept the flames of the 2021 Mount Law wildfire from reaching the top of tree canopies to further spread into community neighbourhoods. This work ultimately limited the wildfire’s growth, helping firefighters maintain its intensity by keeping the flames on the ground.  

“When the fire came through the area, the intensity of the fire just dropped. The ‘roar’ went out of the fire as soon as it hit the area we had treated, immediately showing us how impactful the work we were doing was,” explained Dave Gill, Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and General Manager of Forestry at Ntityix.  

Similar groundwork helped save even more homes in the 2023 McDougall Creek wildfire, which burned through 8,000 hectares of WFN’s community forest. And like the Mount Law wildfire, Ntityix’s previous fire mitigation work in Rose Valley Regional Park enabled firefighters to effectively contain its spread, dropping flames in the forest canopy down to the ground. 

“We call it mitigation because we can’t prevent a fire from starting,” noted Peter Kascak, a mentoring forester at Ntityix. “A fire is going to start — it’s just going to happen. But what we can do is create a situation where it could be of less intensity.” 

Charles Kruger, of syilx Okanagan and Sinixt ancestry, joined Ntityix as a technician in early 2025, and shares his knowledge of fire with the rest of the crew. 

By March, Kruger and other Ntityix technicians burned slash piles in the WFN community forest, again in the Glenrosa area. This part of the WFN community forest was identified as a critical priority due to its proximity to private property lines within a wildland-urban interface. The piles consisted of accumulated forest debris, as well as smaller trees and pruned lower-hanging branches, collected during Ntityix’s mitigation work in the spring of 2024. 

And while burning the wood piles at the wrong time could spark a grass fire, the March day’s moist conditions proved to be effective. Once the dozen or so remaining slash piles had burned, the years-long effort to increase the fire guard between the Glenrosa community and the nearby forest was complete. 

Kruger takes a lot of pride in the work he does at Ntityix, working to protect people’s homes and lives. But if fire is to be reintroduced to the ecosystem — and used as good medicine like it once was — he said that fire should be treated with more respect by people in the Okanagan Valley. 

“It could save your life in the cold months. It could also hurt you if you don’t know what you’re doing,” he remarked. “Respect that fire. It can hurt you, it can scar you — just respect the fire, which we do, and utilize it.” 

Support from FESBC, with funding from the Ministry of Forests, has also been instrumental in the success of Ntityix’s ongoing wildfire risk reduction efforts. This partnership has enabled the treatment of approximately 300 hectares around the communities of West Kelowna and Peachland over the past decade, with more projects planned for the near future. 

“The Forest Enhancement Society of BC is pleased to support local people doing great forestry work around their communities. The work being done by Westbank First Nation and Ntityix is a great example of managing forests to improve wildlife habitat, foster better ecosystem health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce wildfire risk for residents while also creating economic opportunities by using the logs and biomass generated by their activities,” said Jason Fisher, RPF and Executive Director of FESBC.  

As communities across B.C. face wildfire threats, the work of Ntityix is a powerful example of effective and culturally informed forest management. 

The video ‘Living With Fire’ showcases Ntityix’s extensive and impactful work to mitigate wildfire risk to communities. It emphasizes the significance of ongoing wildfire risk reduction efforts and highlights the role of Indigenous leadership and traditional cultural practices in forest management. 

Scan the QR code to watch ‘Living With Fire’ and see the work done by Ntityix. 

Story credits: Aaron Hemens, IndigiNews. 

To read more about other Indigenous-led projects throughout British Columbia, read the full Special Report released by FESBC, in collaboration with the BC First Nations Forestry Council.