Our council was born out of the common interest to increase the use of prescribed fire and continue to meet other challenges of implementation of prescribed fire by providing an open dialog between agencies, regulators, tribes, and the public. The Sierra Nevada is a very unique landscape. It is home to the largest network of uninterrupted public lands, which make it a great opportunity for inter-agency collaboration for achieve fire management goals.
In 2011, The California Fire Science Consortium and Sierra Forest Legacy started to discuss the need for doing some outreach on prescribed fire. The Boulder Creek Restoration Project was the catalyst for these discussions (Rx Fire in the Sierra) because it is the largest planned prescribed fire in the Sierra to date. This is a big deal! We sought out the expertise of The Nature Conservancy, Jeremy Bailey and Mary Huffman, and through our conversations we came to the conclusion that there was a need for a prescribed fire council. We recruited fire managers, air quality specialists, and fire researchers to host a Fire and Smoke Symposium. From the Symposium, we concluded that there was true need and desire from those who live and work in the Southern Sierra Nevada to develop a prescribed fire council. And off we went!
We are pleased to introduce you to our Steering Committee and Advisory Board. Without their dedication and thoughtfulness the formation of this council would not have been possible.
Steering Committee - Our steering committee is a diverse group of stakeholders from federal, state, private, NGOs, universities, and tribal representatives.
Advisory Committee - Additional members that have provided support for the formation of the Southern Sierra Prescribed Fire Council and those we continue engagement with for direction and expertise in their fields.