FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Lynda Cull, Prescribed Fire Coordinator
Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation, Inc.
Email:
Phone: (888) 336-1389
Website: www.good-fire.org
Healthy Forest Alliance Launches Initiative to Help Communities Form “Micro Prescribed Burn Associations” Across California
California – October 2025 — The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation (HFA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to wildfire resilience and prescribed fire training, has announced a statewide initiative to help communities establish Micro Prescribed Burn Associations (Micro-PBAs) — small, locally organized groups designed to empower residents to safely return good fire to the land.
Micro-PBAs consist of 5 to 20 local landowners, volunteers, and trained fire practitioners who collaborate to plan, prepare, and conduct prescribed burns in their immediate areas. These groups operate on a hyper-local scale, emphasizing neighbor-to-neighbor cooperation, shared equipment, and community-based training.
“Micro-PBAs are the bridge between individual landowners and large agencies,” said Lynda Cull, Prescribed Fire Coordinator for the Healthy Forest Alliance. “They give communities the tools, training, and confidence to reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystem health, and take ownership of their fire resilience.”
Helping Communities Organize and Burn Safely
Through its Training Division and Prescribed Fire Equipment & Trailer Program, HFA provides the guidance and resources needed to form and sustain local Micro-PBAs, including:
-
Step-by-step guidance to organize and structure a Micro-PBA.
-
Access to shared equipment such as backpack pumps, firing devices, weather kits, and radios.
-
Discounted or free NWCG-certified courses including S-130, S-190, S-212, and S-219.
-
Task Book initiation and Red Card issuance for qualified Fire Practitioner Members.
-
Assistance developing burn plans and coordinating with Certified Burn Bosses (CARXs).
-
Navigation of state programs such as the California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund.
Fiscal Sponsorship and 501(c)(3) Support
As a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 33-3363950), the Healthy Forest Alliance also offers financial sponsorship and fiscal partnership opportunities for newly forming PBAs. This allows community groups to receive tax-deductible donations and grant funding through HFA without having to form their own nonprofit.
“Many new PBAs have the passion and people, but not the infrastructure to manage grants or donations,” said Cull. “Through fiscal sponsorship, HFA helps them get started — providing the administrative foundation while they focus on training, burning, and building local capacity.”
About the Healthy Forest Alliance
The Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation, Inc. is a California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting prescribed fire training, wildfire mitigation, and equipment access for community-based practitioners. HFA’s programs include the Fire Practitioner Membership, Scholarship Fund, and Prescribed Fire Equipment & Trailer Program, which provide tools, training, and funding to help Californians bring good fire safely back to their landscapes.
Join the Movement
Communities, Fire Safe Councils, RCDs, and local landowners interested in forming a Micro-PBA or requesting fiscal sponsorship can learn more at www.good-fire.org or contact
Healthy Forest Alliance Foundation, Inc.
Empowering communities. Restoring resilience. Bringing back good fire.