Prescribed Burn – what is it?
A PB is a knowledgeable, controlled application of fire to a land base for the purpose of achieving environmental goals.

• Essentially, a PB improves the quality of life for many organisms/wildlife and improves growing conditions for vegetation.
• Most PB’s are done to weaken and/or eliminate competition from non-native, cold season vegetation.
• PB’s reduce competition from woody species to help promote the growth of prairie species.
• PB’s are either done to restore a site or maintain/manage a site – a PB is ultimately conducted to conserve biodiversity.

• Specific objectives of a PB will determine the timing of the PB – ie. Will the PB take place in spring, summer or fall
• Ultimate goal of planning a PB is to establish a safe and efficient method of protecting values without compromising safety
• Know the site – be aware of species that could pose a danger to personnel and be aware of species that might be endangered by the PB

• Prepare a complete, concise, communication plan for your PB – plan for things to go wrong by including an extensive what-if analysis of your PB
• Inform all local parties that may be impacted or affected by your PB
• Promote and educate your PB within the local community

• Let the Professionals conduct your PB - understanding and predicting fire behaviour is a very complex system, involving a number of factors and indices
• If a PB gets out of control – can you handle the responsibility and liability if one of your staff/friends/community members is injured?

Values Protection – each site presents unique values and can include buildings, people, wildlife, flora and equipment. Each value must be considered on an individual basis. Various methods can be implemented to protect values:

• clear fuel around objects
• metal sleeves around poles
• foam
• sprinklers
• wet burlap bags
• mowing
• hand tools.

Boundary or burn lines – the most important element to be implemented when planning a PB.

Boundaries provide dual uses – to allow personnel and equipment to get around the burn site and to establish confines for the burn to take place. Consideration must be given to the duration of the burn, land topography and fuel types.

• ignition – equipment, personnel, safety, communication, types of fire (back, flank, head) and method of ignition: right angle, parallel or parallel tandem

• suppression – objectives, tactics inside and outside the burn area, personnel, safety, problematic control and communication
• mop up – identify resources and responsibilities that will be necessary to monitor the fire until it is declared out

Fuel – a general term used to identify the amount of debris, cover and/or organic matter that is available on site to burn. The higher the fuel content, the more intense the fire.

Predicting fire behaviour is a very complex task and includes a number of factors and indices. Fire is best managed at a PB but professional fire fighters who, are knowledgeable, experienced and can use various systems to predict fire behaviour including rate of spread, fuel consumption, and fire intensity.