Umpqua Prescribed Burn Association: Why Does Prescribed Fire Matter?

Written By Csanyi Matusicky

07/22/2024

What is a Prescribed Fire Association?

It is exactly what it sounds like – a group of people with no required qualifications that share one thing in common – a want to learn how to care for the ecosystem they are a part of. Made up of families, community members, landowners, teachers, students, firefighters, conservation professionals, librarians, retirees, and any other classification you can think of, the PBA is a space for all of these people to meet, learn about conservation, and implement good fire!

So, we have a PBA in the Umpqua? Why was it formed?

The Umpqua Prescribed Burn Association (UPBA) was formed as the second PBA in Oregon to try and create a community of people that is actively engaged in the remediation of a long history of fire suppression in our region. The general suppression of fire in conjunction with increasing temperatures, changing climate, and non-adaptive forestry practices have created a landscape ripe for catastrophic wildfires. This absence of burning has put North America in a “fire debt”. One of the only ways out of our fire debt is through fire being put on the ground. Whether that is in a preplanned manner using prescribed burns or through wildfires – it will happen. Given that nearly half of Oregon’s land is privately held, the existence of PBAs is crucial. By reintroducing controlled burns on the landscape, the UPBA aims to offer the community a cost-effective method for land stewardship, mitigating wildfire hazards, enhancing wildlife habitat, expanding wildlife corridors, and addressing the impacts of climate change. The UPBA is committed to empowering the public to actively participate in restoring the vitality of their natural surroundings.

The inaugural event of the UPBA took place on July 1st, 2024 on a private property in Oakland, Oregon. With the help of members of the community and partners such as the DSWA, ODF, DFPA, NRCS, OSU EXTENSION, UOP, Oakland RFD, Fair Oaks RFD, Applegate FD, and many others we were able to successfully burn our first 9 acres.

While there were many fire professionals in attendance – you do not have to have any fire experience to get involved. All you need is an open mind and an eager attitude! We had quite a few landowners/community members on this burn that had never seen large scale live fire before and here is what one PBA members had to say:

“I was nervous going into it, but [being able to carry] the drip torch was empowering. I will be able to share my experience and encourage other landowners to be [apart of this movement] … What an incredibly successful, team building day. I was proud to work alongside all of you. Fantastic launch of the Umpqua Prescribed Burn Association!”

What about liability?

When the conversation about prescribed fire begins, almost intrinsically, it is linked to the word “liability”. Most landowners or community members will cite “fears of liability and risk” when asked if they would put fire on their property. This is based on a belief that by not inviting prescribed fire onto their land, it will decrease the chance of fire damage. This is not the case. In order for us to manage our enormous fire debt, just in Oregon, it is a safe estimate to say that over 50,000 acres would have to burn a year.

In the paper “Liability and Prescribed Fire: Perception and Reality”, the team wrote, “Most decisions about liability are based on what people believe to be acceptable risk; this stems from the fact that no action (including inaction) bears zero risk of liability”. This quote illuminates the fact that inaction is not inherently safer than acting on a known need in our region to use prescribed fire, it merely feels safer due to a false perception of the fire regime that we live in. One study that was done in 2012 asked participants about the riskiness of using prescribed fire. Their survey noted that 49% of non-PBA respondents with a general positive outlook on prescribed fire considered burning to be a high-risk action. When compared with PBA members with positive attitudes toward prescribed fire, none of the respondents reported feeling that prescribed fire was a high-risk action (Toledo et.al 2012). Many people feel that fire is something that is uncontrollable, unfeasible, and unobtainable. This is why the movement to create Prescribed Burn Associations is igniting all across the United States. Just by providing support in the form of knowledge, tools, and people, these associations can help countless communities usher in a new era of conservation.

The most effective way to dissuade fear is to be curious and learn as much as you can -

To get involved, just visit umpquapba.com and go the “Connect” page

 

How can I learn more about Prescribed fire, Wildfires, and PBA’s?

Visit our “Learning Center” page on the UPBA website or see the selected resources below!

10 Minute Resources:

Videos:

Books:

  • “Ignition” by M.R. O’Conner

Courses:

 

Sources for this article:

  • Burn or Not to Burn: Ecological Restoration, Liability Concerns, and the Role of Prescribed Burning Associations

    - Link: (Burn or Not to Burn)

    - Authors: David Toledo, Urs P. Kreuter, Michael G. Sorice, and Charles A. Taylor.

  • Liability and Prescribed Fire: Perception and Reality

    - Link: (Liability and Prescribed Fire: Perception and Reality (agrilife.org))

    - Authors: John R. Weir, Urs P. Kreuter, Carissa L. Wonkka, Dirac Twidwell, Dianne A. Stroman, Morgan Russell, Charles A. Taylor.

Csanyi Matusicky