Humans once experienced an intimate relationship with fire. In some parts of the world—such as within Karuk Tribal Lands—this connection remains unbroken. In North America, widespread Indigenous fire use shaped forests and grasslands, leading to greater biological diversity and healthy watersheds while also mitigating impacts from wildfire and climate variability.

In 2020, over four percent of California burned in wildfire. Over 30 people lost their lives in the fires; experts estimate an additional 3,000 premature deaths may have resulted from wildfire smoke. Property damage is expected to top $10 billion.

Across North America, many communities seek to live more safely with wildland fire; some call that working to become a fire adapted community. Many American Indian tribes were historically able to live within fire-prone ecosystems, but rather than just being fire adapted, they were and still are fire dependent cultures.