Client: Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation
The recent spread of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 has reiterated the impact of climate change on the intensity and frequency of wildfires. The growing threat of destructive and uncontrollable wildfires is affected in part by a century of fire suppression and fuels accumulation, increasing development in the wilderness, and a rise in human-caused fires. But fire has historically played an integral part in caring for landscapes and ecosystems. For millennia, Indigenous people have used fire to promote forest health as well as to prevent spontaneous wildfires. The Karuk tribe from Northern California have used cultural burning to create fire-resilient ecosystems and communities. How to fight wildfire with fire is a short documentary-style film, produced for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, that tells the story of the people who are addressing the growing threat of wildfires and bringing back beneficial fire to their ancestral lands, showcasing how their traditional management practices can make landscapes safer and more resilient. This film formed part of a wider series on climate change and human health called The Climate and Us, presented by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, and it tells a human-centric story that challenges misconceptions and highlights the practices that can make a difference.
