Tucked away in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas is one of America’s oldest and grandest tree stories. The survival and continued ecosystem restoration that supports exquisite trees like Giant Sequoias, also known as Sierra Redwoods, is likely entirely due to indigenous practices conducted by the original land stewards of the central Sierra Nevada Mountain range, the Tuolumne Band of the Me-Wuk Indians. For thousands of years, this indigenous community has prescribed burns to areas subjected to frequent wildfires and a heavily timbered landscape. In Tuolumne County, California on the 400-acre Rancheria, the land is managed and maintained by resident and non-resident tribal members. The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Fire Department is led by tribal member and Fire Chief Louis Millis and is made up of a 9-person structure division and a strong 20-person wildland and hand crew. Together their department protects the personal property of the roughly 498 resident tribal members that reside within the Rancheria. The wildland and hand crew is constantly preparing for the threat of wildfire and has extensive fuel reduction and wildfire resiliency goals.
Firefighter Caleb Steffes described the efforts as “endless, and constantly needs cleared.” He also recognized the clear threat surrounding developments that don’t undergo fuel reduction campaigns face and witnessed the consequences of reactive or negligent forest management every season. In 2013 the 3rd largest fire in California history known as the Rim Fire was responsible for 257,314 acres in damage impacting hundreds of miles of roads and private property surrounding the Rancheria. Prescribed burns conducted by the tribe’s fire department reduce non-native understory and clear a space for the traditionally used native species like the Black Oak, a culturally significant species and source of the black oak acorn which is a historically vital food source for the Tuolumne Band of the Me-Wuk Indians.
Before the fire crews initiate a prescribed burn their hand crew, trained as sawyers by the tribe, thins small trees, and removes all fallen, dead, and diseased mature trees. They will also limb mature trees to strengthen their resilience to wind. The dominant species in the acres they manage are cedar and oak, which both make phenomenal firewood; however, all Black Oak limbs and logs are used only for ceremonial purposes. To salvage the usable wood for use as a heating fuel the tribal firewood distribution program originated in 2001. The crew leaves cut logs along roadsides or in an accessible location where the firewood program staff retrieves them and takes them back to the firewood processing lot.
I visited their firewood lot with Program and Grant Managers Diana Beasley and Mindy, surrounded by tree-covered hillsides. I was able to see for myself the sorted piles of oak and cedar and hear about how they leave oak for about a year to dry completely before collecting the logs for firewood. The cedar dries quickly and once split they notice a rapid drying process of about 3 days. As a recent 2024 grantee of the Alliance for Green Heat’s Firewood Bank Assistance Program, they received a moisture meter and plan to use it to keep better track of the drying process of their oak logs. The crew also received 2 firewood splitters with their assistance grant, Leland claims the new splitters work 3 times faster and with less fuel than their other splitters that broke down seasons before and no longer function. “It only takes about $5 of fuel to split 2 cords of wood,” said Leland, a big improvement from what they used in the past.
Two tribal employees were also on site, as some departments share staff that manage multiple programs, and other departments partner together to avoid duplicating efforts. Although no firewood processors involved in the wood distribution program currently work as firefighters, there has been some overlap in the past. Leland, who just finished splitting some cedar, and Leo, who restacked some wood using a front-end loader, started their morning making the rounds for garbage pick-up for the tribe's waste management division.
Leland enjoys the work involved with the firewood distribution program. He has always collected firewood and loves how it connects him to the land. Before working for the tribe he was a logger and occasionally sold firewood on the side. He and his family have always heated with wood and will always rely on the fuel. Leo does not hear about firewood but knows how many people benefit from the firewood distribution and likes to help his community.
Residential wood heat and wood-powered cook stoves are extremely common within the Rancheria with about half of residents’ homes reliant on the heating appliance, the wood fuel from their program serves as a cooking solution to create Nupa, a traditional dish made of Black Oak acorns. Although house fires are not common the fire department will clean out resident’s wood stoves and check that the chimney is clean upon request. Priority for the firewood program is given to elders, then households with children, and then vulnerable populations. All recipients receive the same amount of cut firewood, around 2 cords of half oak and half cedar wood.
Seeing the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians people benefit from their ancestral land management practices is one of the many reasons why firewood banks and firewood programs should exist. Their outstanding departmental organization and sustainable growth shows that it’s possible to live in harmony with the natural cycles of nature. The preservation of these native lands relies on the indigenous practices carried out today. When the land benefits, the people benefit.
Comments