Who Needs a Forest Fire?

Who needs a forest fire? We do! But not the kind we have now. The first people who lived in California did not fight fire. They used it as a tool and tended the forest floor like a garden for thousands of years. The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought settlers and miners who killed Native Americans and destroyed forest ecosystems. Stopping all fires and allowing the forest floor to become overcrowded and overgrown led to conditions that were perfect for major wildfires: megafires! This book will help you: -Learn why plants and animals need fire -Understand how the Native American people of California used fire as a tool to keep the forest ecology strong -Discover what we can do to help forests and California's native plants and animals avoid megafires. Extensive educational resources in the back matter align with California state educational standards. A FREE Teacher's Guide is available with activities, games, additional resources and more!