Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association
Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association: Bringing Good Fire Back to the Piedmont
The Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association (PPBA) is a community-based program helping landowners safely and effectively use prescribed fire as a land management tool. Through education, training, shared resources, and neighbor-to-neighbor support, PPBA increases access to prescribed burning across the North Carolina Piedmont.
Why Prescribed Fire?
Fire has long been a natural part of healthy ecosystems. When applied under carefully planned conditions, prescribed fire can:
- Reduce hazardous fuels and wildfire risk
- Improve wildlife habitat
- Promote native grasses and wildflowers
- Support fire-adapted ecosystems
- Improve forest and woodland health
- Increase landscape resilience to future disturbances
Prescribed fire benefits both private landowners and surrounding communities by helping maintain healthier, more resilient landscapes.
What Is a Prescribed Burn Association?
A Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) is a group of landowners, natural resource professionals, and community members who work together to safely conduct prescribed burns.
Members share knowledge, equipment, training, and labor to help one another achieve land management goals while maintaining a strong focus on safety and planning. PBAs operate on a “neighbors helping neighbors” model that makes prescribed fire more accessible for private landowners.
How PPBA Supports Landowners
The Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association helps participants by:
- Providing prescribed fire education and outreach
- Assisting with burn planning and preparation
- Connecting landowners with trained burn practitioners
- Coordinating equipment and resources
- Supporting firebreak installation and site preparation
- Building trained burn crews through partnerships and volunteer participation
These services help ensure burns are conducted safely, effectively, and under appropriate conditions.
Who Can Participate?
PPBA welcomes:
- Private landowners
- Forest landowners
- Farmers and ranchers
- Conservation organizations
- Natural resource professionals
- Students
- Community members interested in land stewardship
Whether you own a few acres or manage larger tracts of land, PPBA provides opportunities to learn, participate, and contribute.
Service Area
The Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association serves counties throughout the North Carolina Piedmont, including:
Alexander, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davie, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, and Rutherford Counties.
Get Involved
Interested in learning more about prescribed fire or becoming involved with the Piedmont Prescribed Burn Association?
Whether you’re exploring prescribed burning for the first time or looking for opportunities to gain experience and training, PPBA can help connect you with educational events, burn opportunities, and local resources.
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The PPBA is a highly inclusive organization and extends a warm welcome to both landowners and citizens who are eager to expand their knowledge or actively participate in prescribed burning. This includes individuals who have been conducting their own burns for years, landowners who are new to the prescribed fire community, those who may engage contractors for burning on their land but seek a deeper understanding of the process, and citizens who are fascinated by the procedures and outcomes of prescribed fire.
If you are a landowner in the NC Piedmont region and are keen on incorporating prescribed fire into your land management program, or if you are interested in joining and supporting our efforts, please reach out to us at piedmontpba.nc@gmail.com or join our newsletter below!
