About Prescribed Burning

Prescribed burning on private land. (Image: Arun Regmi)

Prescribed fire, also known as controlled burning, is a carefully planned and managed fire used to achieve specific land management objectives. This technique mimics natural fire processes that have shaped ecosystems for millennia. Prescribed burning offers numerous cultural and ecological benefits, including the reduction of hazardous fuels, which protects communities from extreme  wildfires, improvement of wildlife habitat, control of invasive plant species, promotion of native vegetation growth, and enhancement of forest health and resilience. Despite the potential benefits, the adoption of prescribed fire on private lands remains limited. There exists a critical need to understand private forest landowner perspectives and the barriers they face in utilizing this approach. Our study seeks to assess landowner values and attitudes towards prescribed fire, identify obstacles and opportunities for its adoption, develop tailored support strategies, and evaluate the influence of policy and environmental factors on prescribed fire use. By addressing these objectives, we aspire to enhance wildfire resilience on private lands, ultimately contributing to safer, more resilient communities and ecosystems. To address this research goals, we conducted research in two distinct regions:

Project 1: Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Region (completed)

(Map: Arun Regmi)

In the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, prescribed fire is primarily used for oak regeneration, wildlife habitat management, and ecological restoration. Wildfires are less frequent in these areas, but there’s growing interest in prescribed burning as a forest management tool. Since more than 70% of forests in this region are privately owned and consist of fire-dependent ecosystems, prescribed fire could be a viable option for forest management on private lands. To fill the important knowledge gap regarding forest landowner knowledge and demand for prescribed fire, we surveyed private forest landowner in the Northeast.

Objectives:

1. Assess landowner demand for prescribed burning programs and associated ecological benefits.
2. Understand how knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions influence landowner preferences and willingness to pay for prescribed fire programs.
3. Provide insights to prescribed fire advocates in the Mid-Atlantic US to inform programming for increased prescribed burning on private lands.

Publications

1. Forest landowner demand for prescribed fire as an ecological management tool in Pennsylvania, USA.
2. Forest landowner values and perspectives of prescribed fire in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Project 2: California (ongoing)

Prescribed burns help reduce the underbrush without destroying trees. (Image: Lenya Quinn-Davidson)

California faces increasingly severe and frequent wildfires due to a combination of factors such as climate change, historical fire suppression practices, and the expanding wildland-urban interface. These elements have led to dangerous fuel accumulation and heightened wildfire risk across the state. In California, prescribed burning is crucial for reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire, by safely reducing excessive vegetation and fuel loads, creating fire breaks, and restoring fire-adapted ecosystems. Reintroducing fire in a controlled manner allows California’s landscapes to become more resilient to the challenges posed by wildfires. However, the application of prescribed fire in California faces numerous challenges and opportunities that need to be thoroughly understood.

Objectives:

1. Evaluate private forest landowners’ attitudes towards prescribed fire in California.
2. Identify barriers and opportunities for prescribed fire adoption in the state.
3. Develop tailored support strategies for California landowners.
4. Assess the influence of policy and environmental factors on prescribed fire use in California.

Study Sponsors and Partners

This project was funded by the Joint Fire Science Program and conducted by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University in Collaboration with the University of California Cooperative Extension.

Regional Priorities and Research Focus

The primary objectives for using prescribed fire vary significantly across different regions of the United States. In the Southern US, prescribed fire is commonly employed for ecosystem restoration, habitat management, and wildfire risk reduction. The Western states, particularly California, prioritize wildfire risk reduction as their main objective. In contrast, the Northeast focuses primarily on managing ecosystem health. This study also explore  regional differences in terms of using prescribed fire. In the Northeast, we found ecosystem health, habitat management and ecological restoration were major priorities. In California, where wildfires pose a serious and immediate danger, our research centered on wildfire risk reduction. By examining private forest landowner intentions, preferences, and values regarding prescribed fire in these contrasting landscapes, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of how landowners view and approach prescribed fire use across different landscape.