Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association

09/01/2026

It really takes a village! After months of back-to-back burns, our cache was in dire need of a refresh before fall burn season.

Luckily, our dedicated good fire community responded to the call, yet again.

We spent a sunny Saturday laughing and smiling while rolling hose, refurbishing tools, cleaning chainsaws, repairing weedeaters, and fixing drip torches. A great day was topped with a delicious potluck, tasty beverages, and good tunes.

There's two things a PBA knows how to do: work hard and have fun.

We've got a busy burn schedule planned for fall! Keep an eye in the Watch Duty app, our social media, and your emails for burn updates and calls for volunteer help!

09/01/2026

There are quite a few more acres of open coastal prairie in the Bear River watershed after last weeks prescribed burn. With support from 4 neighboring ranches, 30 PBA volunteers, Mattole Restoration Council fire and fuels crew, Patriot Restoration Operations fire resources, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and hand crews and engines from CAL FIRE HUU, we successfully burned over 300 acres of shrub and Douglas fir encroached grasslands over three days in late August!

August is the time to restore these lost coast grasslands! Each year, while the rest of the west is burning, fog drip causes the grass to grow on the Humboldt coast surprisingly early. By mid-September or October, 'green-up' can make it impossible to create the fire behavior needed to kill shrubs in these threatened grasslands. A huge thanks to ambitious landowners, experienced burn bosses, supportive regulatory agencies and an active fire community for making it possible to use good fire in the right place at the right time.

Day 1 (photos 4-8) was spent 'blacklining', or creating a burned buffer on the top and flanks of the burn area. This created a 'catchers mit' around the unit to allow the use of hotter head firing techiques on the following burn days.

Day 2 (photos 1-3, 9-13, 16) was spent meeting our grassland restoration goals. Crews used as much headifre as possible to consume shrubs and young trees with great success. Despite being in peak wildfire season, fire was not as active as expected. While some areas consumed to white ash, dense shrub islands and moist forest drainages wouldn't carry fire. This mosaic burn pattern allowed ample refuge for deer, rabbits, woodrats, foxes, and even the mountian lion seen within the burn unit during and after ignitions.

Day 3 was spent securing the burn area, monitoring fire actvity on the interior of the unit, and collecting hose and equipment.

Thank you for continuing to support community-led good fire in Humboldt County!

08/25/2026

We'll be burning in the Bear River this week!!!

Ignitions are planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thrusday to improve grassland health and reduce woody encroachment across up to 350 acres of beautiful coastal prairies above Capetown.

This project is a collaboration between Bear River Valley Beef, NRCS, and the HumCo PBA with support from CAL FIRE HUU, local community members, private fire resources, and even members of the Ventura and Mendocino PBA'S!

Smoke may be visible from Mattole Road and Bear River Ridge Road. Please do not report a wildfire unless you suspect it is NOT our prescribed fire.

All of our burns are conducted by a diverse mix of community members, prescribed fire practitioners and fire professionals in accordance with CAL FIRE and North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District regulations.

Thank you for supporting community-led prescribed fire!

08/04/2026

08/01/2026

*Hello Humboldt Bay Area* We'll be burning at the California Redwood Coast Airport (ACV) in McKinleyville on Monday, August 3rd!!

If weather agrees, we'll be assisting Arcata Fire District and Airport Staff in broadcast burning up to 40 acres of ACV's coastal prairies.

While this operation is NOT affiliated with the Rumble Over The Redwoods airshow, the goal of the burn is to ensure the safety and health of the surrounding communities and firefighters during the pyrotechnics displays associated with the event. Selecting a day with optimal smoke disperal not only maximizes safety and lessens negative impacts, but provides a great training opportunity for fire personnel before peak wildfire season.

Ignitions will likely begin around 1000 and conclude by 1200. Smoke management and community safety are the main considerations in every step of planning and operations. Weather conditions will be selected for the cleanest burn, firing techniques will be utilized to increase lift and smoke dispersal, and all smokes will be extinguished.

Smoke is expected to travel SE, away from the highway and communities.The burn will be visible from McKinleyville, Arcata, Trinidad, HWY 101, and surrounding areas. Observers may view the burn from outside the runway fence along Central Ave. Please do not report!

This burn is an incredible collaboration bewtween the Arcata Fire District, ACV Fire, the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association, and CALFIRE HUU. Thank you so much for supporting responsible fire management in our community!

06/30/2026

We'll be burning in Southern Humboldt on Tuesday, Wednesday, and possibly Thursday!

Tuesday 6/30 - Ettersburg
This burn is a collaboration between the HCBPA, local volunteer fire departments, neighbors, French Ranch, and CAL FIRE to reduce the spread of Barbed Goatgrass along Ettersburg Rd.

Cancelled - Wednesday 7/1 - Garberville
If conditions allow, we'll be burning more Barbed Goatgrass at Southern Humboldt Community Park

Cancelled - Thursday 7/2 - Phillipsville Alderpoint
If the weather holds, we may support Briceland VFD on another grassland burn unit near Huestis Rock.

Smoke may be visible in Ettersburg, and from Highway 101 in Gaberville and Phillipsville. Please do not report a wildfire unless you suspect it is NOT our prescribed fire.

All of our burns are conducted by a diverse mix of community members, prescribed fire practitioners and fire professionals in accordance with CAL FIRE and North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District regulations.

Thank you for supporting community-led prescribed fire!

06/30/2026

HCPBA and Telegraph Ridge Volunteer Fire have a prescribed burn planned Tues 6/30 in the Ettersburg area of Southern Humboldt. It will be approximately 5 acres of range grassland affected by invasive Barbed Goatgrass and Italian Thistle species.

06/23/2026

We'll be burning on the Klamath between Orleans and Happy Camp from 6/23 through 7/2!!

06/14/2026

*We're burning near Phillipsville/Garberville/Redway/Alderpoint tomorrow!*

Briceland Volunteer Fire Department, in partnership with the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District (RCD), the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association (HCPBA), CAL FIRE, participating landowners, and community partners, is planning the Huestis Rock Prescribed Burn, a 170-acre prescribed fire grass rangeland project located on Mail Ridge near Dyerville Loop Road.

Burn operations are tentatively scheduled for June 12–14, 2026, pending favorable weather conditions, fuel moisture, staffing availability, and regulatory approval. Exact ignition dates and operational periods will be determined based on conditions that support safe and effective burning.

The prescribed burn is designed to improve rangeland health by targeting invasive species such as Barbed Goatgrass and Medusahead grass, increasing wildfire resilience and supporting long-term stewardship objectives on private lands. By strategically applying low-intensity fire under carefully monitored conditions, project partners aim to reduce the risk of future high-severity wildfires while promoting healthy ecosystem function.

Residents in the area may observe smoke, fire personnel, equipment, and temporary increases in traffic during burn operations. Smoke impacts are expected to be short-term and will be monitored throughout the project. Every effort will be made to minimize impacts to nearby communities while achieving project objectives.

Prescribed burning is conducted under strict safety protocols and coordinated among trained fire personnel, landowners, and partner organizations. Operations will only proceed when weather and site conditions meet established prescription parameters.

The Huestis Rock Burn represents a collaborative effort among local fire agencies, landowners, and community organizations working together to restore the beneficial role of fire on the landscape and improve wildfire preparedness throughout Southern Humboldt. Funding for this has been provided by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Forest Health Program, through the North Coast Resource Partnership, as part of the California Climate Investments Program.

For more information, visit the California Climate Investments website at: http://www.caclimateinvestments.ca.gov

More information about the Huestis project can be found at: https://humboldtrcd.org/projects/wildfire-resiliency-planning-for-mail-ridge/

https://www.northcoastresourcepartnershipprojects.org/Project/Detail/17696



(https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-do/grants/forest-health)

(https://www.humcopba.org)

(https://humboldtrcd.org)

(https://bricelandfire.org/)

(https://humboldtgov.org/FireSafeCouncil)

(https://treesfoundation.org)

05/30/2026

The perfect spring burn - patchy, mosaic, beautiful.

Our burn last weekend went perfectly. Some thoughts after walking the unit 1 week and 2 days of rain later:

The goal of burning is not 'clean black', it's rejuvination. It's not about black acres, but helping the right place at the right time. We pick moderate weather and moisture conditions so that fire is able to pick and choose what to cook and what to keep.

Mosaic or patchy burns are good. Some places burn hot, some places burn cool, and some places don't burn at all. Yes, not all the 'fuel' was consumed, but that log or shrub isn't just 'fuel' to everyone. To a botanist they're plants, to a deer or bear they're food, to a salamander they're home.

Burning is a holistic practice, it affects everything. Good fire harms and heals at the same time. Mixed, patchy, and mosaic effects ensure we've reached our human objectives, while retaining food, homes, and hiding places for everyone else that lives and loves in the woods.

1-9: Burn day with an amazing crew of volunteers.
10-11: Securing and patroling.
12: Unforecasted rain came to help extinguish the fire. A sign that nature had our back.
13-16: 1 week post-fire. Mosaic fire effects. Green, brown, and black.
17-20: A young yew, a coral root, and some black-capped raspberries the fire chose to keep :)

A huge thanks to all of our volunteers, members, and partner organizations. We can't do this work without all of us!