Dataset Information

Native American fire management at an ancient wildland-urban interface in the Southwest United States.

ABSTRACT: The intersection of expanding human development and wildland landscapes-the "wildland-urban interface" or WUI-is one of the most vexing contexts for fire management because it involves complex interacting systems of people and nature. Here, we document the dynamism and stability of an ancient WUI that was apparently sustainable for more than 500 y. We combine ethnography, archaeology, paleoecology, and ecological modeling to infer intensive wood and fire use by Native American ancestors of Jemez Pueblo and the consequences on fire size, fire-climate relationships, and fire intensity. Initial settlement of northern New Mexico by Jemez farmers increased fire activity within an already dynamic landscape that experienced frequent fires. Wood harvesting for domestic fuel and architectural uses and abundant, small, patchy fires created a landscape that burned often but only rarely burned extensively. Depopulation of the forested landscape due to Spanish colonial impacts resulted in a rebound of fuels accompanied by the return of widely spreading, frequent surface fires. The sequence of more than 500 y of perennial small fires and wood collecting followed by frequent "free-range" wildland surface fires made the landscape resistant to extreme fire behavior, even when climate was conducive and surface fires were large. The ancient Jemez WUI offers an alternative model for fire management in modern WUI in the western United States, and possibly other settings where local management of woody fuels through use (domestic wood collecting) coupled with small prescribed fires may make these communities both self-reliant and more resilient to wildfire hazards.

SUBMITTER: Roos CI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7848524 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Native American fire management at an ancient wildland-urban interface in the Southwest United States.

Roos Christopher I CI Swetnam Thomas W TW Ferguson T J TJ Liebmann Matthew J MJ Loehman Rachel A RA Welch John R JR Margolis Ellis Q EQ Guiterman Christopher H CH Hockaday William C WC Aiuvalasit Michael J MJ Battillo Jenna J Farella Joshua J Kiahtipes Christopher A CA

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20210101 4

The intersection of expanding human development and wildland landscapes-the "wildland-urban interface" or WUI-is one of the most vexing contexts for fire management because it involves complex interacting systems of people and nature. Here, we document the dynamism and stability of an ancient WUI that was apparently sustainable for more than 500 y. We combine ethnography, archaeology, paleoecology, and ecological modeling to infer intensive wood and fire use by Native American ancestors of Jemez ...[more]

PMID: 33468651

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Project description:BackgroundImpacts of colonization on dietary intake have led to high rates of obesity and noncommunicable diseases among Native American adults. Multilevel, multicomponent (MLMC) interventions may improve dietary intake.ObjectivesTo assess the impact of a MLMC obesity intervention, OPREVENT2 (Obesity Prevention and Evaluation of InterVention Effectiveness in NaTive North Americans 2; clinicaltrials.gov NCT02803853), on dietary intake in Native American adults in Intervention versus Comparison communities.MethodsA cluster-randomized controlled trial was performed among participants in 6 communities randomized to Intervention (n = 3 and Comparison (n = 3). Adults aged 18 to 75 were recruited from tribal communities in the Southwest and upper Midwest United States from September 2016 to May 2017 (n = 601). This analysis included participants who completed baseline and follow-up surveys (82% retention), reported dietary intake between 500 and 7000 kcal/d, and had no missing data for outcomes of interest (n = 446). The intervention was implemented from May 2017, to November 2018. OPREVENT2 integrated individual, environmental, social, and structural factors and was implemented in food stores, worksites, schools, and community media outlets in Intervention communities. Activities included taste tests, cooking demonstrations, and stocking healthier items in food stores and were reinforced by a social m)edia campaign, posters, brochures, and booklets focused on nutrition. Individual-level dietary intake among participating Native American adults was assessed via modified Block food-frequency questionnaire at preintervention and postintervention. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression, with clustering at the community level, was performed.ResultsBetween-group effects were significant (P < 0.05) for intake of carbohydrates (-23 g/d), total fat (-9 g/d), saturated fats (-3 g/d), and monounsaturated fats (-4 g/d), with greater decreases in Intervention communities. Between-group effect for total sugar (-12 g/d in Intervention communities) was not statistically significant.ConclusionsThis MLMC intervention was associated with significantly improved carbohydrate, total fat, and saturated fat intake among Native American adults. These changes are important for improving health within this population.

Dataset Information

Native American fire management at an ancient wildland-urban interface in the Southwest United States.

Publications

Native American fire management at an ancient wildland-urban interface in the Southwest United States.

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