Prescribed Fire Awareness Training in Central Minnesota

Written by Mike Lynch

The Guild lead a Prescribed Fire Awareness (JAA 338) training at Camp Ripley in Central Minnesota for Natural Resource Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation District, and Pheasants Forever staff May 23 – 25, 2023. This training was provided for staff that frequently interact with landowners and intended to give them a baseline understanding of prescribed fire and how it could be used by the people they work with as a land management tool where ecologically and logistically practical. The training included presentations on fire history, cultural uses of fire, prescribed fire techniques, burn plan development, demonstration of common tools, tactical simulations, and culminated in a ‘down range’ field tour of burn units on Camp Ripley.

This was the second cohort we have brought through the training (our June 2022 e-newsletter article shares details about the first cohort) and complements the Landowner Learn and Burns and Burn Plans we have been developing in the region. Stay tuned for the next scheduled Learn and Burn on September 22, 2023.

A great team of presenters made the training possible. Carlos Saiz, Christian Nelson, and Timo Rova joined Michael Lynch to lead the content delivery along with support from Camp Ripley staff Josh Pennington, Jason Linkert, Lew Noska, and Tim Notch and guest presenters Lane Johnson (University of Minnesota Cloquet Forestry Center) and Jason Anderson (Pheasants Forever). We thank everyone who participated too! It’s all part of bringing good fire back to ecosystems that depend on it.

The photos capture a lot! If you have questions about this project or related work, please contact Mike Lynch, mike AT forestguild.org.