Spring 2013 "Forestland Steward" Newsletter Highlights Prescribed Burning

Smokey’s message is still relevant today, but it has become more nuanced. Not all fire in the forest is bad. While it is still imperative to prevent catastrophic wildfires, fire is necessary for the proper functioning of California’s forest ecosystems. So the challenge becomes: how can we safely bring fire back to the landscape to meet our management and restoration objectives?

One way to gain the benefits of fire is through prescribed burns. These are intentional fires set under very controlled conditions to avoid adverse consequences. Prescribed burning is one of many options in the forest management toolbox. However, the widespread use of fire for forest management is somewhat controversial in California, and extremely complicated. Not only is fire behavior inherently complex, but talk about burning in our forests brings up an array of health, safety, and liability concerns.

The Spring 2013 Edition of the excellent "Forestland Steward" Newsletter addresses prescribed burning in California in-depth, with information on Fire as a Management Tool, Air Quality Concerns, Obstacles to Prescribed Burning, and more. Download the Spring 2013 Forestland Steward Newsletter in PDF format here.

Forestland Steward is a joint project of the CA Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Placer County Resource Conservation District, UC Cooperative Extension, and USDA Forest Service to provide information on the stewardship of private forestlands in California.

CA Forest Stewardship Program P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244 Fax (916) 653-8957 ceres.ca.gov/foreststeward