PEMBROKE — The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina will have its first Cultural Control Burn at the Lumbee Tribe Culture Center.
Tribal members, land owners, farmers and other interested people are invited to attend this event to observe and learn about the returning practice of controlled burning in honor of the Winter Solstice. The burn will be held on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
Historically, the Longleaf Pine ecosystem was created and maintained by lightning-initiated fires and by American Indians who relied on fire to keep forests open for hunting, turpentine production, and agricultural practices. Fire is still the most effective and economical tool for restoring the Longleaf pine ecosystem today.
The benefits of managing forested areas with prescribed fire include eliminating fuel on the forest floor, reducing the risk of wildfire, encouraging natural regeneration of Longleaf and other plants that benefit wildlife, controlling ticks and chiggers, releasing nutrients and increasing soil fertility and continuing the sacred and cultural usage of fire on Native lands.
Lumbee Tribal members interested in participating in the Lumbee Cultural Burn Association are invited to contact them for information on how controlled burns can help the land.
For more information, please contact Larry Edwards with the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources at 910-522-5465.