Prescribed Burn Associations
Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs) are grassroots organizations where members share knowledge, labor, and equipment to implement prescribed fires. PBAs empower private landowners and volunteers to conduct safe and effective burns.
Joining or forming a PBA in your community can provide you with access to training, resources, and a network of experienced fire practitioners. Whether you’re a seasoned land steward or a first-time participant, PBAs offer the support needed to confidently integrate fire into your land management practices.
A firefighter monitors a control line during a prescribed fire.
How they work
Neighbors helping neighbors implement fire
Each Prescribed Burn Association starts with a group of proactive landowners interested in implementing prescribed fire on their lands. These landowners agree to work together to plan, prepare for, and conduct burns.
How an individual PBA operates is ultimately up to its members, with support from Pheasants Forever and other conservation organizations. Members of the PBA decide what geography they will cover, how work will be divided, and what membership dues may be collected.
Form a PBA
It all starts with a conversation
The first step to forming a Prescribed Burn Association is for interested parties to gather and discuss the concept. Pheasants Forever is actively working to promote the formation of PBAs in Minnesota.
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Upcoming PBA interest meetings:
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If you are a private landowner interested in conducting prescribed fires on your land, and do not yet have a PBA in your area, Pheasants Forever is happy to help. Contact Jason Andersen, Minnesota Prescribed Fire Coordinator, by email at jandersen@pheasantsforever.org to start the conversation.
More resources
Handouts & Fact Sheets:
The Value of Forming a Prescribed Burn Association, Southern Fire Exchange (PDF download)
Prescribed Burn Associations, Oklahoma State University Extension (PDF download)
Prescribed Fire: Understanding Liability, Laws and Risk, Oklahoma State University Extension
PBA programs in other states:
Missouri Prescribed Burn Associations, Missouri Prescribed Fire Council
Nebraska Prescribed Burn Associations, Nebraska Pheasants Forever
