Group Plans Collaboration, Upcoming Event, Promoting Prescribed Burning
Sonora, CA — A coalition of local residents has formed a new group known as the Tuolumne Prescribed Burn Association.
They are dedicated to restoring fire as a vital land management tool. Formerly part of the Mother Lode Prescribed Burn Association (which also included Calaveras County), the newly independent Tuolumne PBA plans to focus on equipping landowners with skills, resources and support needed to effectively use prescribed fire on their properties.
One of the founding members, Lara McNicol, states, “Tuolumne County’s diverse landscapes are adapted to frequent low intensity fires. The goal of the PBA is to empower citizens, landowners, and communities to utilize fire as a management tool to actively create fire-resilient ecosystems. All levels of experience are welcome to come learn, teach, and reclaim the use of prescribed fire as a means to prepare, harden, and protect our communities and landscapes.”
The Tuolumne PBA will be hosting a family-friendly, hands-on event at Camp Earnest in Twain Harte this Saturday (April 19) at 9 am. Later that day will be a short presentation, food, and music at 12:30 pm. For those wanting to participate in the hands-on portion, click on the group’s website here to find a list of things to bring and wear.
The PBA plans to provide ongoing training, equipment, and collaborative burning opportunities for landowners of all experience levels. The end goal is to create a safer, more fire-resilient region.
McNicol concludes, “The land remembers its historic fire return intervals. We hope to return low intensity prescribed fire to the land in the hands of the people who inhabit it.”
