A Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) is a group of landowners and other concerned citizens that form a partnership to conduct prescribed burns. Association members pool their knowledge, man-power and equipment to help other people in their association conduct prescribed burns.
64 PBAs are now found in 10 states across the U.S., depicted on this map. Some states even have their own PBA websites: Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois.
Numerous resources and opportunities are available regarding PBAs. Some of these have been compiled and are provided below.
Resources for Those in a PBA:
Educational Opportunities
e-FIRE – An interactive video course designed for landowners and those new to prescribed fire to learn how to plan, conduct, and evaluate a burn.
Online courses – The online “basic prescribed fire training” and the “Introduction to Southeast Prescribed Fire” courses can be found at http://campus.extension.org (search term: prescribed fire).
Certified Burner Courses – If your state provides a Certified Prescribed Burn Manager course, look for upcoming dates in your area!
Materials & Resources
A South Central Texas PBA member developed this small-scale demonstration method for reaching school children and 4-H members, but it could also be used to teach landowners who are new to burning.
Small-Scale Demonstration Burns
Resources for Those Wanting to Form a PBA:
Fact Sheets
The Value of Forming a PBA (2016)
Prescribed Burn Associations (2015)
Prescribed Fire Associations (2005)
Videos
Webinars
Prescribed Fire Techniques, Planning, and Precautions in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas
This webinar on PBAs presented by John Weir:
Brochures
Powerpoint Presentations
Introduction to Coastal Bend PBA
Mobile Apps
GroupMe App (useful to connect with many people about the burn by only sending a single message)
RxBurn Tracker (helps you monitor the long-term effects of burning by storing basic information about a prescribed fire and take pre- and post-burn photos from exactly the same spot over time)
Smoke Management Pocket Guide (has 12 basic smoke management guidelines to keep in mind, and a fuel calculator to determine how much available fuel is in your burn unit)
Example By-Laws
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Example Equipment List/ Sign-out Sheets
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Sample Meeting Agendas
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Template Agreements/MOUs
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Signs
Template Burn Plans
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Checklists
North Central Range Improvement Association PBA Preburn Safety Checklist
Protocols & Miscellaneous
Prescribed Burn Protocol North Central Range Improvement Association PBA
Release Form North Central Range Improvement Association
NC Sandhills PBA Cost Share Decision Tree
Liability
Prescribed fire liability factsheet: standards of care by state
Articles about PBAs
A GUIDE FOR Wildlife Management Associations and Co-ops (2004)
Prescribed Burning Cooperatives: Empowering and Equipping Ranchers to Manage Rangelands (2005)
Prescribed Burning Associations: Landowners Effectively Applying Fire to the Land (2010)
The rising Great Plains fire campaign: citizens’ response to woody plant encroachment (2013)
Prescribed burn association activity, needs, and safety record: A survey of the Great Plains (2015)
Great Plains Fire Tour Visits the Mid-Missouri River Prescribed Burn Association (2018)
Success Stories
Increasing Prescribed Fire Capacity through Community-led Prescribed Burn Association (2016)
News/Media Stories
Land Owners Get ‘How To’ Lesson on Controlled Burns
Burn Association Hosts Annual Meeting And Rolls Out Website
Do you know of a resource that should be included on this page? If so, please contact jennifer_fawcett@ncsu.edu.