Local Fire Management Program

Utilizing Cooperative

Burning to Increase

the Use of Beneficial Fire

Three people dressed in yellow and green Nomex shirts and pants and holding tools, stand in a grassy field with trees and a blue sky in the background.
READ MORE ABOUT OUR WORK

The backbone of our prescribed fire program is the inclusive learning environment created through our cooperative burning.  We host hands-on trainings and cooperative burns to deepen our understanding of land management with the use of long-term prescribed fire application.

Attend one of our burns and learn through participating.  We believe “fire is for everyone”, and that you can serve a role in bringing good fire back to the landscape, regardless of ability or experience.

Do you want to manage your land with fire?  Email Ellen at fireoperations@thewatershedcenter.com to learn more. There are also opportunities with our Forestry and Fuels Program on initial fuels reduction if your land needs extra help before implementing a beneficial burn.

The Watershed Center leads the Trinity Integrated Fire Management Partnership (TIFMP), a cooperative and cross-boundary, multi-partner effort to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health and wildlife habitat by building the local capacity to plan and implement cooperative beneficial fire throughout Trinity County, California. Our partners include Trinity County Resource Conservation District, Hayfork Fire Department, Hyampom Fire Department, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, CAL FIRE, and volunteers from the community.

What We Do

  • Firefighters wearing protective gear and helmets are extinguishing a small grass fire with a fire extinguisher outdoors on a dry, grassy field.

    Prescribed Burning

    We conduct pile and broadcast burns on private and public lands to improve ecological function, train our local workforce, increase community safety, empower local stewards, and reduce fuels in Trinity County’s fire-adapted and fire-dependent ecosystems.

  • Group of four people working to put out a forest fire, walking through a smoke-filled forest with flames on the ground, carrying firefighting tools and equipment.

    Support PBA Development

    We support the development of local Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs), which consist of community members helping each other manage the land with fire, by providing training and mentorship through workshops and other events.

  • Group of volunteers planting trees in a forest, using shovels to dig holes in the ground amidst trees.

    Provide NWCG Level Training

    Each year we host a Wildland Firefighter Basic 32 course, the annual RT-130 refresher, and other National Wildfire Coordinating Group trainings as needed. These trainings provide a means to obtaining and retaining nationally recognized wildland firefighter qualifications and allows our local workforce to support burn operations on public lands throughout the County.

  • A group of people gathers outdoors in front of a blue water tender, some standing, some kneeling. A scenic background of mountains and trees on a sunny day fills the background of the image.

    Host and Support TREX Events

    We host Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges (TREXs) both locally and regionally. TREX events address one of the most fundamental ways to shift fire culture: giving more people the opportunity to work with fire by investing in prescribed fire partnerships and leadership development and through experiential training events.


Prescribed fire technicians monitor a grass and brush burn in an oak woodland with autumn-colored leaves, under a partly cloudy sky.
A prescribed fire technician in yellow gear and helmet walks in the black behind the flaming front in the grass.
A group of young people sits on logs and rocks, listening to an instructor who is kneeling on the ground, writing on a large map.
A field shows burned grass in the foreground. Smoke rises in the background. Prescribed fire technicians monitor the burn.
Nine prescribed fire technicians, some wearing yellow uniforms and helmets, others casual natural-fiber clothing, prepare to start the burn and hold the lines.
A group of people gather outdoors in a wooded area, some taking photos, wearing outdoor gear and backpacks.
A prescribed fire technician in a yellow jacket and white helmet uses a hand tool to manage a grass fire, with smoke and flames in the background.