The Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program is committed to supporting Indigenous cultural fire through meaningful collaboration and partnership with Indigenous-led fire stewardship organizations across Canada. While the program’s primary focus is specialized training in prescribed fire, CPFTP will work closely with Indigenous-led fire stewardship organizations to ensure the curriculum respects, reflects, and supports Indigenous cultural fire practices and practitioners.

Cultural fire refers to the intentional application of fire to the land to achieve cultural objectives. This practice has been used by Indigenous peoples around the world for millennia to support subsistence, stewardship of the land, and cultural activities such as ceremony, harvesting, and basket weaving.

CPFTP will collaborate with Indigenous leaders in cultural fire to ensure course participants understand the key distinctions between prescribed fire and cultural fire, as well as how prescribed fire can be used to support Indigenous fire stewardship goals. The program will prioritize accessibility for Indigenous-led fire organizations and Indigenous communities, contributing to increased capacity for cultural fire restoration and long-term landscape resilience.

Opportunities will be developed for participants to learn alongside cultural fire practitioners, fostering mutual learning and building strong, collaborative relationships. Indigenous fire stewardship organizations, including the Indigenous Leadership Initiative, the Thunderbird Collective, and the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, serve on the program’s advisory council, providing strategic guidance for program development and curriculum design.