Local Fire Management

Video by Chad Manley and Thena Tak

We plan and implement prescribed burns in Trinity County, working with private landowners, volunteer fire departments, Tribes, community-based organizations, and our federal and state agency neighbors.

Learn to Burn in Trinity County

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

Every year we run National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) basic wildland firefighter courses and refresher training needed to keep those qualifications current. Most years we offer additional more advanced NWCG courses, depending on demand and funding availability.

Manage Your Land with Fire

If you’re a landowner interested in managing your land with fire, fill out this short form to get in touch with Ellen.

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 - check out their Technical Services to see what option works best for you.

We’ll discuss what you’re trying to accomplish and how we can help. The Watershed Center holds grants at various times to cover planning, technical assistance, or implementation costs, but eligibility depends on a variety of factors including objective, location, size, timing, and connection with other projects.

Partners and Funding

Our local Trinity County fire work is conducted through the Trinity Integrated Fire Management Partnership, which is a long-standing partnership with the Klamath-Siskiyou Fire Learning Network, Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests, CAL FIRE, Trinity County Resource Conservation District, volunteer fire departments [add more here], private landowners and community members across the county.

Our local Trinity County fire program is funded by CAL FIRE, the USDA Forest Service, the Nature Conservancy’s Fire Learning Networks, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California Fire Foundation and March Conservation Fund.

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.