The California Prescribed Fire Monitoring Program (CPFMP) is a collaboration between CAL FIRE and the University of California, Berkeley that supports the implementation of prescribed fire across California through the maintenance of a long-term monitoring network. The CPFMP has two complementary goals: 1) Supply partners with the information needed to evaluate site-level management outcomes; 2) Synthesize results across sites to inform statewide policy and strategic guidance for prescribed fire implementation.

To achieve these goals, since 2019 a network of 0.04-hectare (0.1 acre) permanent circular monitoring plots were established at over 40 sites and sampled following a modified version of the USDA Forest Service (USFS) common stand exam (CSE)[1]. The CSE protocol collects data on variables that quantify overstory and understory species diversity and structure, standing and downed trees, surface woody debris and fine fuels, and ground cover. In the plots, data were collected before the prescribed fire and immediately after burning to quantify fuel consumption, and again one-, two-, four-, five-, and eight- year(s) postfire to quantify tree mortality and changes to plant species composition and cover.

[1] USDA Forest Service Region 5 (2012) Common Stand Exam Field Guide. USDA Forest Service.