🔥 Small Teams, Big Impact: The Rise of Micro Prescribed Burn Associations

🔥 Small Teams, Big Impact: The Rise of Micro Prescribed Burn Associations

Across California, communities are proving that meaningful wildfire resilience doesn’t have to start with large agencies or million-dollar budgets. The Micro Prescribed Burn Association (Micro-PBA) model empowers small, motivated groups of neighbors to bring good fire back to their landscapes safely and legally — one burn at a time.

What Is a Micro-PBA?

A Micro-PBA is a locally organized group of 5–20 landowners, volunteers, and trained fire practitioners who work together to plan and conduct prescribed burns within their own community. Operating at a hyper-local scale, Micro-PBAs emphasize trust, training, and teamwork. They use shared tools, neighbor-to-neighbor cooperation, and guidance from experienced mentors to make prescribed fire accessible and achievable for everyone.

Why Micro-PBAs Work

1. Local Knowledge: Members know their land, vegetation, and weather patterns — creating better burn outcomes.

2. Shared Resources: Equipment, training, and expertise are pooled to make burns affordable and safe.

3. Community Safety: Every member participates in planning, weather monitoring, and suppression readiness.

4. Scalable Success: A few acres burned by many groups across California creates landscape-level resilience.

How the Healthy Forest Alliance Can Help

The Healthy Forest Alliance (HFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering local communities to lead their own wildfire resilience efforts. Through our Training Division, Prescribed Fire Equipment & Trailer Program, and Fire Practitioner Membership, we help communities launch and sustain Micro-PBAs with the resources they need to succeed.

HFA provides:

• Step-by-step guidance to form your own Micro-PBA, including bylaws, leadership structure, and training plans.

• Access to our equipment loan program, including backpack pumps, radios, weather kits, PPE caches, and firing devices.

• Discounted or free NWCG-certified training courses (S-130, S-190, S-212, S-219, and more).

• Task Book initiation and Red Card issuance for qualified Fire Practitioner Members.

• Assistance with burn plans, risk assessments, and Certified Burn Boss (CARX) partnerships.

• Support navigating liability and funding programs, including the California Prescribed Fire Claims Fund.

• Opportunities for financial sponsorship and fiscal partnership for newly forming PBAs — allowing HFA to accept tax-deductible donations, manage grant funds, and provide administrative support while local groups focus on training and burning.

Financial Sponsorship & 501(c)(3) Partnership

Many new PBAs lack the nonprofit status required to apply for grants or receive donations. That’s where HFA steps in. As a registered 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 33-3363950), HFA can serve as a fiscal sponsor for emerging PBAs — holding funds, managing compliance, and helping groups qualify for state or foundation grants. This service allows Micro-PBAs to focus on their mission without the administrative burden of building their own nonprofit structure.

Every donation made through HFA to support a local Micro-PBA or prescribed fire initiative is tax-deductible and goes directly toward training, equipment, and safe, community-led burning across California.

Why It Matters

Micro-PBAs represent a new era of community-driven wildfire resilience — small, organized, and deeply local. By empowering residents to safely use prescribed fire, we can reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, and rebuild California’s relationship with good fire.

The Healthy Forest Alliance is here to help — from training your first members to hosting your first burn, and beyond.

🔗 Ready to Start a Micro-PBA?

Visit www.good-fire.org to learn more about forming a Micro Prescribed Burn Association in your community or to request partnership, equipment, or fiscal sponsorship through the Healthy Forest Alliance.