Up in the Central Sierra Zone of the Sierra Mountains lies the United States Forest Service (USFS) Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and GBI’S Nevada Conservation Corps (NCC) Prescribed (Rx) Fire Resource Crews. Made up of eight Americorps volunteers, two crew leads, and a Rx Fire Coordinator, this Rx Fire team supports the Fuels Department at the LTBMU with prescribed burn projects dating back to 2023. Through the thick of it, these members embrace smoke, flames and chainsaws.
For those unfamiliar, prescribed burns are a key land management process that helps clear dead vegetation while creating space for new ecosystem growth. All prescribed burns are contingently planned and include information on procedures made available for the public. Taking on an expansive scope of work and training, the Rx Fire team prepares and ignites burn piles across all four seasons. Rx Fire Coordinator, John Ogle, says “their essential tasks are to prepare units to be burned in the warm months, and to burn those units in the wet, snowy, and cold months. Summer months involve using chainsaws and hand tools to create containment lines around prescribed burn units, which makes it easier for keeping active fire within the desired perimeter to be burned.” To simplify, think of it as curating space in a specific area where we would not want a natural fire to happen, and if it happened these prescribed interventions are necessary to ensure a natural fire can not travel and expand to the surrounding forest and community. Ignitions begin alongside fire resources from the Forest Service, CalFire, and other regional fire organizations when the humidity, temperatures, and winds align. There are different types of units, each with its own considerations. Some are close to homes, some deep in the forest, others that can only be burned with snow on the ground, some that need dry conditions, some that need to have firehose charged and deployed, some large and some small. “Most units are composed of burn piles, but some have no burn piles and fire is applied directly to the ground and vegetation with the hope that it spreads. The units without burn piles are called understory burns, or broadcast burns. These are more exciting, require more resources, and would act more similar to what one would imagine a forest fire to look like. The product left behind by pile and understory burn alike are very satisfying, and the area intuitively feels like a healthier and more fire-protected area,” Ogle explains.
NCC’s current Rx Fire team is in their third year of the Rx Fire Resource Program. There have been many improvements within the program since it first launched. From program directors to on the ground members, there have been intensive training schedules, integration into the LTBMU’s fire resources, knowledge of fire growth within the program, and trust that has developed. The crews have become a core piece to the LTBMU’s fire prevention strategy partnership by filling a vacancy within this Forest that few other groups can fill. Ogle states that “traditionally, wildland firefighters do prescribed burns during the shoulder seasons prior to and after fire season. With fire seasons becoming longer and more strenuous, it is difficult for these fire modules to keep up with the needs of their own forest. Our crews are able to prepare units for half the year, and burn for half the year, without having to worry about going on a fire assignment.” This is invaluable to the forest itself as no other resources are able to operate on that timeframe.
The Rx Fire Resource program has had various members and supports the professional development of each individual. For instance, Brianna Maxwell joined in the 2023 year, became a crew lead in the second year and is now a Forest Service Engine crew supervisor on the Modoc National Forest. “We have had members progress from these crews onto other professional crews, such as at the Caldor Burn Scar Restoration Project, and take on leadership roles within those programs. Members have moved on to join the fire service, return to school for fire ecology/biology, taken jobs with the state as Fish and Wildlife techs, and some that have moved up within the program itself to take on more responsibility,” Ogle says. A valuable part in this program aside from land management and restoration is seeing the change that occurs within the members. “Members are often reserved, acquiring a stoic pose and being slow to use their full voice during their initial weeks. Eyes are wide open and it takes a time for people to warm up (pun unintended) to asking questions. It is hard to capture the contrast between their attitude during their first few weeks of training, and their attitude one month into burning. There is a composure of confidence, a subtle sense of “I can handle it” within them. They do not rush their reactions, and they realize that with prescribed fire one has more time to think and act than one would think. It all becomes second nature and obvious to them, and many of them would likely report that the job is easy. This is one of the best statements that the Rx Fire Resource program can hear, because that means they have attained a grasp of a multidimensional job well enough for all of it to seem obvious to them,” Ogle continues. It doesn’t take a genius to light something on fire, but it does require someone with experience and knowledge to tame it once it’s lit.
Undoubtedly the Rx Fire team’s hard work and accomplishments do not go unnoticed. Their commitment to safer forests, healthier ecosystems and their own professional growth has made them an essential force within the LTBMU. As the program evolves, their efforts leave a lasting impact on the land they steward.
