The people and the trees: postfire policy and rehabilitation in Washoe Country

For thousands of years the Washoe people have cultivated a special relationship with the single-leaf pinyon pine. These trees once carpeted the Pine Nut Mountains of the Southern Carson Valley, providing the Washoe with a reliable source of food for countless generations. Today, large expanses of the Pine Nut Mountains have been denuded of pinyon pine, a consequence of high-severity wildfire. In this paper, we explore the impacts high-severity wildfires have had on the Washoe Tribe’s ability to access and cultivate pinyon pines on their ancestral homelands. In the fall of 2023, our research team interviewed Washoe community members and employees about their experiences in postfire landscapes. Our findings reveal a highly fragmented and volatile landscape that has significantly compromised the ecological stability of the Pine Nut Mountains. Interviewees regarded the disruption of Indigenous stewardship and its replacement with federal land management as primary drivers for the current ecological crisis confronting the Washoe people. In particular, the onset of colonial settlement brought new ways of knowing and interacting with the land that prioritized the economic aspects of land over its relational aspects. Participants also discussed challenges associated with the bureaucratic obstacles federal agencies impose upon the Washoe Tribe in their ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the land. These include delayed response times to administrative requests and a lack of collaboration in planning postfire treatments. We conclude by discussing practical solutions, such as enhancing tribal sovereignty and making land more accessible to the people.