The Ventura County Prescribed Burn Association (VCPBA) aims to implement the safe use of fire to address ecological and safety concerns. Prescribed fire is nothing new to Ventura County. The Chumash and Tataviam, the Indigenous Peoples of Ventura County, implemented cultural burns annually, until the Mission System banned these practices on May 31, 1793.

The landscape has changed drastically since this time, especially with the introduction of non-native invasive plants, such as mustard (Mutarda nigra), poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and others. These plants grow taller than other native flashy fuels and have in turn altered the fire behavior/severity in Southern California. These are some ways that VCPBA hopes to reduce fire risk for neighboring communities, while also protecting and restoring native habitat:

• Invasive Species Reduction: VCBA, Ojai Valley Land Conservancy (OVLC), and the University of California Cooperative Extension launched a multi-year project at the Ventura River Steelhead Preserve to manage invasive yellow star-thistle using carefully timed prescribed burns across 30 acres.
• Oak Woodland Understory Fuel Load Reduction: VCPBA and partners plan to reduce deadwood to protect keystone species. In 2025 we conducted 11 burn piles in the urban wildland interface (WUI) to protect both old growth oaks and communities of people nearby