Our Mission
The mission of the Ventura County Prescribed Burn Association (VCPBA) is to provide the tools, training, education, and resources to conduct prescribed burns in a safe and effective manner that will reduce the threat of devastating uncontrolled wildfires. The VCPBA will utilize prescribed fire to enable participants to better manage their open space for the betterment of wildlife habitat and reduced public threat. The group is made up of dedicated private landowners, land trusts, County Fire, and other private/public partnerships.
Goals of the VC PBA
The Goals of the Ventura County Prescribed Burn Association is to provide a robust private/public multi-partner program that will work to reduce hazardous fuels and undesirable invasive species; to restore and improve watershed health and resilience, forage production, and wildlife habitat; and to facilitate the proper use of prescribed fire amongst a diverse group of landowners. The following are additional goals of the VCPBA, in no specific order:
- Reduce the threat of devastating wildfire to life and property of Ventura County residents
- Provide top-tier community education and California Burn Boss training
- Engage with a diverse group of private/public partners to achieve a mosaic of prescribed burns across Ventura County
- Empower private citizens to work alongside fire professionals in the planning and execution of prescribed fires
- Support county agencies in the development of a landscape-scale strategy for fuel reduction that is effective and ecologically sensitive
- Support regional and state-wide planning efforts to reduce the threat of wildfires encroaching on Ventura County
PBA Calendar
Get Involved
Get trained up - Become a certified CA Burn Boss
For additional information and registration contact:
Woody Bouska at 925-989-0983 or woody.bouska@workingonfireusa.org
Sign-up for Participate in Learn more about a burn
Are you someone, or do you know someone, who is a landowner with open space and would like to explore prescribed treatments? Are you interested in volunteering with the VC PBA or do you just want to learn more?
If so, please contact the Ventura County RCD:
monica.matthews@vcrcd.org
Prescribed Burn Association News
Adoption of SB-332
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 332 Civil liability: prescribed burning operations: gross negligence. Oct. 6, which changes liability laws around setting prescribed burns. Advocates hope that this will encourage more individuals to set prescribed burns, which are planned fires aimed at managing forest land and reducing fuel loads that frequently lead to large wildfires, throughout the state.
Benefits of Prescribed Burns
After many years of fire exclusion, an ecosystem that needs periodic fire becomes unhealthy. Trees are stressed by overcrowding; fire-dependent species disappear; and flammable fuels build up and become hazardous. The right fire at the right place at the right time:
- Reduces hazardous fuels, protecting human communities from extreme fires;
- Minimizes the spread of pest insects and disease;
- Removes unwanted species that threaten species native to an ecosystem;
- Provides forage for game;
- Improves habitat for threatened and endangered species;
- Recycles nutrients back to the soil; and
- Promotes the growth of trees, wildflowers, and other plants;