In the wake of July’s lightning-caused wildfires, advocates for fire safety are working with officials on a solution that might seem unexpected: more fire. Fire is a natural part of the boreal forest ecosystem, playing an essential role in its health and regeneration. These forests are adapted to fire, and some species depend on it to regenerate. “Fire has been very diverse on this landscape and has been present through a combination of lightning strikes and also intentional ignitions by indigenous people who have lived here for hundreds and thousands of years,” Abby Andrus of Dovetail Partners told WTIP. Dovetail Partners is a nonprofit organization that provides information on the environmental impacts and trade-offs of land management decisions. Part of its work in Minnesota’s Arrowhead region focuses on wildfire resilience and fire ecology. WTIP spoke with representatives of Dovetail Partners about how communities and individuals can better prepare for wildfire season.