FAQs
FAQs
What is a Prescribed Burn Association?
Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) are community based, mutual aid networks that help private landowners put "good fire" back on the land. (See the California PBA website for more information.) The Tuolumne PBA is currently an all-volunteer organization, though if the community continues to show enthusiasm for our efforts, we may seek grant funding to support our mission. .
Why is prescribed fire and a PBA important in Tuolumne County?
Prescribed fire is an important management tool in Tuolumne County ecosystems. The more well trained and educated our community is about fire behavior, the various fire regimes in our county, and how to manage and control fire, the more fire resilient our community is as a whole. We hope to empower people with this knowledge so that our county can work together, professionals and property owners and stewards alike, to keep our homes and natural spaces hardened against catastrophic mega-fires.
How do I get involved in the PBA?
The first step is to fill out our interest form. This will get you on our email list and let us know if you have land you're interested in burning. If you're on Facebook, you should join us there too.
Does Tuolumne PBA have any former firefighters or foresters who have been trained to do prescribed burns, meeting Cal Fire and Forest Service standards ?
Yes. Training and education are a very important part of PBAs. The CalPBA website offers many resources and training opportunities through UCCE, TREX, and CalFire as well as many educational videos.
The PBA is as well trained as its participants. Our community is filled with highly trained and experienced fire personel: wildland firefighters, heavy equipment operators, sawyers, hot shots, foresters, fire ecologists, and more. Every burn we have conducted has had someone present with fire training specific to the burn we are conducting.
PBAs are designed to offer technical assistance to landowners who wish to burn. This can include applying for appropriate burn permits through CalFire and the Tuolumne County Air Pollution Control District, writing a Burn Plan or Smoke Management Plan, or navigating the Prescribed Fire Incident Reporting System, all of which can be cumbersome to landowners who wish to burn on their property. The PBA is in compliance with all the requirements for CalFire, City, or Air District permits the landowner applies for. We work closely with the regulatory agencies and fire respose teams in the specific area we conduct burns. In the end, it's the landowner who does the burn and applies for the permits, the PBA is there to help navigate that process and organize a volunteer work force of both professionals and laypersons.
What is the Tuolumne PBA's connection to the Motherlode PBA?
The Motherlode PBA was formed in 2021 with a citizen-based steering committee with residents from both Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. Neither county had the resources to launch a PBA alone at that time. The goal.was always to have a Calaveras and a Tuolumne PBA. In 2023 the Calaveras PBA was formed as a separate organization from the Motherlode PBA. A re-ignition of community-based interest in Tuolumne County allowed us to to launch the Tuolumne PBA.