Prescribed  Fire  Restora/on  Through  Coopera/on  

Outline  

Fire  on  the  landscape  Burn  Associa/on  

Cooperators  

Needs  

Defining  Fire  

Wildfires  and  Prescribed  Fires  •  Fuel  Type    •  Climate  •  Scale  •  Intensity  •  Return  interval  

Good  Fire/Bad  Fire  

The  Bad  and  The  Good  

•  Wildfire  and  escapes  can  destroy  homes  and  capital  investments.  

•  Fire  does  not  “destroy”  acres  of  natural  habitat.  •  Fire  does  modify  and  alter  aJributes  of  the  landscape.  

•  Fire  does  maintain  ecological  func/ons.  

•  Prescribed  fire  is  somewhat  “Natural”.  

•  Prescribed  fire  can  manage  fuel  loads.  

Where  did  the  fire  go?  

•  Habitat  Fragmenta/on.  •  Landscape  management  schemes  are  different.  

•  ShiPs  in  vegeta/on  composi/on.  

•  Safety  concerns.  

What  can  we  do  to  get  it  back?  

Limita/ons  of  Implementa/on  

•  Mispercep/ons  of  fire  /lack  of  knowledge.  – Landowners/neighbors  – Public  

•  Lack  of  Equipment  •  Local  Governmental  Regula/ons/Burn  Bans  •  Public  safety  concerns.  

What  can  we  do  to  get  it  back?  

How  do  we  get  fire  back  on  the  Landscape?  

•  Get  organized.  •  Educa/on,  Educa/on,  Educa/on.  •  Increased  man  power  and  equipment.  •  Reduce  and  mi/gate  risk  and  impacts  (smoke)  through  planning  and  experience.  

•  Use  prescribed  fire.  •  Build  a  fire  aware  community.  •  Poli/cal  influence.  •  Use  cooperators  to  help.  

Texas  Prescribed  Burn  Associa/ons  

•  hJp://pbatexas.org  •  State  Alliance  formed.  

•  11  Regional  Coops/    Associa/ons.  

•  State  Cer/fica/on.  

Coastal  Bend  Prescribed  Burn  Assoc  

WWW.PRESCRIBEDBURN.ORG  

Get  Organized  

Form  or  join  a  prescribed  fire  Coop/Associa/on.  Establish  a  formal  group  with  Ar/cles  of  Incorpora/on.  

Gain  501  c3  status.  Liability  insurance.  Equipment.  Have  a  presence  in  the      community.  

Incorporate  with  another    en/ty  –  wildlife  coop.  

Educa/on  Start  within  the  group  and  work  out  

Incorporate  management  change  or  adapt      to  facilitate  fire.  

Ecological  benefits.  Cost  benefits.  Safety!  Know  the  laws.  Applica/on.  Through  experience,  develop  competence  and  trust.  

Burn  Co  Op  Assists  in  Planning    

Educates  in  parameters  for  safe  implementa/on  Building  fuel  

Fire  guard  construc/on  

Timing  

Mi/gates  risk  

Black  

Burn  Area  

Fire  Guard  

Short  flank  

Long  flank  

Head  Fire  

Burn  Co  Op  Increases  Manpower    

Train  individuals    Planning    Experience    Confidence    Cer/fica/on  

Neighbors  helping  neighbors.  

Mi/gates  risk  

Burn  Co  Op  Increases  Equipment    

Equipment  is  costly  to  buy  and  maintain  Centrally  located  Pumps  Sprayer  units  Hand  tools  Torches    Radios  

Mi/gates  risk  

Liability  

Working  on  liability  insurance  for  members.  Make  sure  that  personal  insurance  covers  fire  and  smoke  impacts  on  your  property.  

 Planning    Training        Experience    Manpower    Equipment  

Mi/gates  Risk  

Build  a  fire-­‐aware  Community  

•  Use  prescribed  fire.    Put  some  smoke  up.  •  Publicize  work  and  benefits  of  fire.  •  Prepara/on  and  planning.  •  Gain  trust  and  show  competence.  

•  Promote  educa/on  through  seminars  and  trainings.  

Poli/cal  influence  

Show  a  need  for  prescribed  fire.  

 economics  

 fuels  management  

Influence  legisla/on  and  policy.  

Be  truthful  and  prudent.  

Elect  officials  who  are  knowledgeable.  

Show  competence  and  gain  trust.  

Fire  through  Coopera/on  

Since  2003  when  TNC  RGP  module  was  established  and  2006  when  CBPBA  was  started,    fire  has  increased  on  the  landscape  20  fold.    Cooperators  have  provided  hundreds  of  landowners  and  managers  with  educa/on  opportuni/es  1  –  2  /mes  a  year  with  burn  seminars  and  public  speaking  events.    CBPBA  equipment  was  used  to  burn  over  8,000  acres  in  2011.  

Fire  through  Coopera/on  

Since  the  2003  when  TNC  RGP  module  was  established  and  2006  when  CBPBA  was  started,    fire  has  increased  on  the  landscape  20  fold.    Cooperators  have  provided  hundreds  of  landowners  and  managers  with  educa/on  opportuni/es  1  –  2  /mes  a  year  with  burn  seminars  and  public  speaking  events.    CBPBA  equipment  was  used  to  burn  over  8,000  acres  in  2011.  

Frequency  of  Fire  on  the  Landscape  

Local  Cooperators  

Landowners  and  producers  Non  Profit  Resource  Conserva/on  Groups  Volunteer  Fire  Departments  County  Commissioners  and  Judge  County  Fire  Marshall  Soil  and  Water  Conserva/on  Boards  Texas  Agri-­‐life  Extension  NRCS  TPWD  TNC  

State  Cooperators  

Natural  Resources  Conserva/on  Services  Texas  Soil  and  Water  Conserva/on  Board  Texas  Parks  and  Wildlife  Grazing  Lands  Conserva/on  Ini/a/ve  Texas  Forest  Service  Texas  Department  of  Agriculture  Texas  and  Southwest  CaJle  Raisers  Assoc.  Legislators  The  Nature  Conservancy  Texas  Agri-­‐life  Extension  USFWS  

Needs  

RAIN!!  Greater  knowledge  of  ecological  processes.  

Management  strategies  that  address  ecological  processes.  

Public  educa/on.  

Trained  individuals  to  take  

 the  lead.  

Con/nued  poli/cal  influence.  

Ques/ons?  

Fire  

A  naturally  occurring  ecological  disturbance,  that  changes  or  maintains  the  plant  community,  species  composi/on  and  structure  of  an  ecosystem.