MARIPOSA – Fire is a natural part of California’s ecosystem. If used properly, fire can improve the health and resiliency of both forests and rangelands, control weeds, increase species diversity, promote native species, and reduce extreme smoke and damage of catastrophic wildfires.
Prescribed fire is increasingly accepted as one of the tools to meet these land management goals. However, the challenge most people face is the ability of individual private landowners conducting prescribed burns on their own lands safely.
One way to effectively address this is by organizing a collaboration of neighbors and community members into a Prescribed Burn Association (PBA).
PBA is a group of landowners and other concerned citizens that form a ‘partnership’ to conduct prescribed burns. PBA members pool their knowledge, skill, manpower and equipment to help each other conduct prescribed burns.
This is a follow-up meeting on developing a Prescribed Burn Association in the Southern Sierra region (newcomers also welcome) organized by University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE).
This Zoom meeting will be held on March 5 from 2:00-3:30 pm and is open to all interested individuals and agencies in Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Fresno, and Tuolumne counties.
The meeting will continue conversations about the development of a regional Prescribed Burn Association. There will be discussion on recent site visits and upcoming field workdays and what steps need to be taken moving forward. Please register at http://cemariposa.ucanr.edu or 209-966-2417.
