Happy December, FACNM Community!
With winter upon us, the season for pile burning has begun. Prescribed burning is an incredibly important tool used to promote healthier forests and reduce the risks of wildfire, and it features prominently in many landscape-scale projects. Today we will cover Prescribed Burn Associations, which are integral to putting this tool into the hands of landowners and communities. We’ll delve into this in more detail in the following sections:
What is a Prescribed Burn Association (PBA)?
NM Prescribed Fire Council
NM State Forestry’s Prescribed Fire Training Course
Upcoming webinars & prescribed fire in the news
Best,
Dayl
What is a Prescribed Burn Association?
This Prescribed Burn Association Interactive Map from the Great Plains Fire Science Exchange shows active PBAs across the U.S.
A Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) is a group of landowners and other interested people from a specific geographic area that form a partnership to conduct prescribed burns. The first prescribed burn associations, also referred to as prescribed burn cooperatives, were formed in Nebraska around 1995, Texas in 1997, and shortly thereafter in Oklahoma in 2001 to overcome the constraints limiting the use of prescribed fire on rangelands.
These associations are community-built efforts in which members combine their knowledge, equipment, and other resources to provide learning opportunities and reduce the barriers to implementing prescribed burns as private landowners. Common barriers include the liability associated with fire use, lack of training, lack of equipment, and lack of resources. It can be very difficult for private landowners to gain the hands-on training needed to safely and effectively use prescribed fire, and PBAs can provide that training, while also building a network of engaged landowners who can connect on an array of land management concerns.
In the broader context of land management, PBAs can also help fill in the gaps that result from agencies being overburdened with millions of acres to burn. Because PBAs can operate with much less overhead and formality than that of an agency-implemented burn, they are more agile and flexible in the ways they can implement prescribed burns in their communities.
Another benefit of PBAs is that they can improve attitudes toward fire and increase the social acceptability of using prescribed fire as a management tool. One example of how quickly attitudes can change is story of the Sandhills PBA in North Carolina. In their initial community meeting rolling out the PBA, attendees were surveyed before and after the meeting. Before the meeting, 34% of the attendees planned to join the PBA and 16% said they would not join. After the meeting, 56% of attendees had decided to join and 0% remained opposed! Read more about this success story here.
For more information about prescribed burn associations, this FAC Learning network webinar recording discusses PBAs and is part of a webinar series about different wildfire resilience programs around the country.
NM Prescribed Fire Council
Here in New Mexico, we have what is called a Prescribed Fire Council (PFC). These councils are generally statewide organizations, and they often work in tandem and share many common goals with the more localized prescribed burn associations. PFCs allow private landowners, fire practitioners, agencies, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, regulators, and others to exchange information related to prescribed fire and promote public understanding of the importance and benefits of prescribed fire use.
A map showing which states have Prescribed Fire Councils, from the Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils, Inc.
PFCs date back to 1975, when the first council in the US was created in Florida in response to rapid development in Miami, followed by the North Florida Prescribed Fire Council in 1989, which more explicitly focused on prescribed fire. Neighboring states saw Florida’s program and began adopting the council model of including federal, state, and private, interests. Eventually, prescribed fire councils began spreading across the country, and today most states have established councils.
For those who want to get involved in New Mexico, membership in the New Mexico Prescribed Fire Council is open to anyone who has a passion for utilizing beneficial fire as a land management tool. Visit the website to become a member or to learn more about the resources provided by the council.
For more information about prescribed fire councils, this FAC Learning Network webinar recording gives an overview.
NM State Forestry’s Prescribed Fire Training Course
NM State Forestry has a free, publicly available prescribed burning curriculum available which is accessed through their website at this link. Follow their link to the Canvas portal, where you will create a free account using the provided code from the State Forestry webpage. You can choose to sign up for pile burning or broadcast burning courses and progress through the interactive modules, which cover topics such as safety, public relations, fire behavior, techniques, etc. The dashboard for the learning portal looks like the picture below.
Upcoming Webinars & Prescribed Fire in the News
Webinars
Webinar: Supporting Prescribed Fire in New Mexico
Thursday, December 7th
Join FACNM as we discuss New Mexico's new certified burn program and ways to responsibly and safely increase implementation of prescribed fire across jurisdictions and land boundaries in the state! This presentation is open to practitioners, leaders, and members of the public.
Webinar: Developing Community Wildfire Protection Plans in Your Community
14 December, 2023 / 10 January, 2024 at 12:00pm
Learn what a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) is and why your community may need one, what the process involves and what the components are, what resources you need to complete a CWPP, how to use CWPPs to support funding for implementation and more! Join the webinar to hear about how CWPPs are increasingly being used to direct various funding opportunities, including Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG). This program will also be offered en español.
In the News
NM Fire Info - Pile Burning Projects Planned Across Carson National Forest
With the arrival of winter weather, Carson National Forest fire crews are preparing to continue prescribed fire activities, this time in the form of pile burning. Thinning and prescribed fire are two of the most important tools of the Wildfire Crisis Strategy to promote healthier forests and reduce the risks of wildfire. Planned pile burning in the Carson National Forest this winter will contribute to major landscape projects across the forest.
NPR All Things Considered Radio Story - This year saw more prescribed fire than ever before
Listen to this recent story from a prescribed burn in El Rito, which paints the picture of a broadcast burn and much of what it entails. It also provides the unique historical and social context of prescribed fire in northern New Mexico—a teeter-totter where on one side we have communities understandably opposed to prescribed fire given the tragic events of last year, and on the other side the dire need for fuels reduction to avoid catastrophic wildfires in the future. The two are inextricably linked, and fire practitioners must find the balance.
HEPA Filter Loan Programs
FACNM offers a HEPA filter loan program, with several participating areas across northern New Mexico. Portable air filters are available to be loaned out to smoke sensitive individuals during periods of smoke impacts in these areas. Smoke from wildfires and prescribed fires is a serious concern as it can cause or exacerbate health conditions for some people living in fire-adapted communities. The Carson National Forest - El Rito Ranger District is part of this program, and folks in that area can reserve filters directly with them by calling (575) 581-4554.