JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Want to use prescribed fire to manage property? Want to gain experience using prescribed fire? A Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) may be the answer. Through their neighbor-helping-neighbor function, PBAs can help provide equipment, experience, training, and people power for prescribed burns.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is joining with the Missouri Prescribed Fire Council, Quail Forever, Pheasants Forever, and other partners to host a PBA Interest Meeting for landowners and others in Jefferson and Ste. Genevieve counties on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at the VFW Hall, 900 VFW Drive in Festus. Participants must register in advance at bit.ly/Jefferson-SteGen-PBA.
Prescribed fire is an affordable and effective tool for accomplishing land-management goals. It can reduce fuel loads to lessen the intensity and chance of wildfire, help restore native plant communities, enhance wildlife habitat, improve livestock forage production, regenerate merchantable trees, and control invasive species.
The responsible use of fire can benefit both people and land resources, especially when community members join forces through a PBA. A PBA is a group of landowners and other community members who come together to conduct prescribed burns more effectively and safely. The members pool their knowledge, experience, equipment, and peoplepower to help others in their association conduct prescribed burns.
For more information on the meeting, contact Rachel Williams at 636-441-4554 ext. 4121, Luke Wehmhoff at 573-883-2703 ext. 4, or Wes Buchheit at 573-517-8860.
For more information about prescribed fire, visit moprescribedfire.org/pba-faqs.