PEMBROKE – Earlier this month, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina hosted the first controlled burn at the tribe’s Cultural Center in Pembroke.

According to a news release, nearly 50 people attended the event. Among them were tribal employees, community members and volunteers.

The controlled burn was held in honor of the Winter Solstice, which signifies the official start of winter. It also ranks as the darkest day of the year.

“The controlled burn displayed cultural significance by returning light to the land and continuing the American Indian practice of using controlled burning for land management,” the release stated.

The controlled burn also signified the official start of the Lumbee Cultural Burn Association.

The association’s mission is to help Lumbee landowners manage their own lands by using controlled burn methods to ensure safety and cultural relevance.

The event began with a ceremony, allowing attendees “to see the cultural significance of fire, learn about the benefits of fire and the future goals of controlled burning,” the tribe said in the release.

When longleaf pines and their natural environment are burned, said the news release, it promotes new growth for vegetation, re-establishes wildlife environments, adds nutrients to the soil, allows for the growth of native plants and forages, and prevents wild forest fires by eliminating brush and plant undergrowth.

For more information about controlled burns or the association, contact Lumbee Cultural Burn Association Director Courtney Steed at 910-431-2860 or Larry Edwards, the coordinator for the Lumbee Tribe Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources program, at 910-522-5465.