Tuolumne County, California

Fire is not
the enemy.
Absence of fire
is.

The Tuolumne Prescribed Burn Association helps Tuolumne County landowners burn their own land — safely, legally, and with their neighbors' help. We provide the training, tools, volunteer coordination, and technical support so you can do it yourself.

Get Involved Our Mission
Prescribed burn in Sierra Nevada foothills, Tuolumne County
Landowner-led burns in Tuolumne County reduce fuel loads and restore ecological balance
Who We Are

A community of
fire stewards

The Tuolumne Prescribed Burn Association is a landowner-led organization serving Tuolumne County. We support private land stewards who want to use prescribed fire on their own land — providing the training, tools, technical guidance, and volunteer coordination to make it possible.

We don't burn for you. We burn with you — and help you build the knowledge and capacity to lead burns on your own land, on your own terms, with your neighbors beside you.

Landowner-Led

You burn your land. We help you do it well — with training, tools, and neighbors who know the work.

Tuolumne County

We're local, on purpose. Our network, our burns, and our partnerships are rooted in this county.

Technical Support

Burn plans, ignition guidance, liability resources, and information on how to qualify to borrow PBA tools — we help you meet the bar.

Volunteer Coordination

Need hands on the line? We help you recruit, organize, and show up as a crew — on your burn, on your land.

What We Do

Programs & Practices

TPBA field training day, Tuolumne County
01

Training & Certification

Hands-on instruction in burn planning, fire line construction, ignition, and mop-up. We help Tuolumne County land stewards learn the skills needed to burn their own land.

Free to Members
TPBA member igniting a brush pile on a member property
02

Volunteer Coordination

Need hands on the line for your burn? We help landowners recruit and organize qualified volunteers — neighbors showing up for neighbors — so no one has to burn alone.

Member Support
Ring of Fire biochar kiln in operation, TPBA members working
03

Biochar & Soil Health

Workshops on turning burn residue into activated biochar for soil amendment — kiln operation, inoculation, and application for Tuolumne County farms and forest land.

Learn More →
Calendar

Upcoming Events &
Recent Highlights

Sep
17

🍺 Good Fire Meetup — Bear Tent Brewing

Prescribed fire season is almost here! Join us for a casual Good Fire Meetup — a chance to connect with neighbors before things heat up. Whether you're a landowner curious about prescribed burning, or someone who wants to help make our community safer through the wise use of fire, come ask questions, swap knowledge, and start making plans for the season ahead. No experience required, just curiosity and community spirit. No-host event.

📍 Bear Tent Brewing · 18145 Main St, Jamestown  ·  6:00 PM
Open to All
Nov
TBD

🔥 November Demonstration & Training Events

Stay tuned — TPBA is planning demonstration and training events for November. Details coming soon. Get on our mailing list or join the Google Group to be the first to know.

📍 Tuolumne County  ·  Dates TBA
Coming Soon
Jul
27

Second Annual Stakeholders Dinner

TPBA hosted partners from the FireSafe Council, Yosemite Rivers Alliance, Ebbets Pass Forest Watch, UCANR, retired CAL FIRE leaders, local educators, and foresters for an evening of collaboration and year-in-review.

📍 Tuolumne County  ·  Partners & Collaborators
Completed
May
13

Biochar Kiln Workshop — Camp Earnest

Hands-on flame-cap kiln training in two shifts. Participants learned kiln operation, feedstock selection, and biochar application for soil health.

📍 21553 Cedar Springs Rd, Twain Harte
Completed
View Full Events Archive →
Get Involved

Connect With TPBA

Whether you're a landowner ready to explore burning your land, a fire professional, or just a neighbor who wants to help — here's how to plug in.

🌲

Request a Site Visit

Own land in Tuolumne County and want to explore prescribed fire? Fill out our landowner form and we'll connect with you to talk about your land, your goals, and what it would take to burn safely.

Landowner Intake Form →
🔥

Volunteer on a Burn

Help a neighbor burn their land. TPBA coordinates volunteers for landowner burns — trained or not, we can get you up to speed. Sign up for our mailing list to hear about upcoming burn days.

Get on the Mailing List →
💬

Join the Google Group

Our Google Group is a peer-to-peer communication list for TPBA members and supporters. Anyone in the group can email everyone else directly — no middleman, no permission needed. Use it to coordinate carpools to burns, share local conditions, ask neighbors about equipment, or organize grassroots action. TPBA facilitates, but the conversation belongs to the community.

Join the Group →
🌱

Follow Along

Stay connected through our mailing list and social media — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Substack. We share burn day announcements, training opportunities, news from the field, and updates from the wider California prescribed fire community.

Contact Us →
What We've Been Up To

A Year of Good Fire

From trainings and burns to a $179,000 subaward and a growing network of landowner partners — here's what TPBA has been building in Tuolumne County.

108
Volunteer Forms
576
Hours of Training
12
Acres Burned
$179K
WRTC Subaward
Year in Review
2025
  • →3 trainings · 90 participants
  • →4 burns · 10 acres · 95 participants
  • →Hosted Stakeholders Dinner, Regional PBA Leaders Summit, Good Fire Tour
  • →Attended Cultural Burn at Chicken Ranch Rancheria
2026 (January – July)
  • →L5 site visits
  • →4 trainings · 48 participants
  • →2 burns · 2 acres
  • →Attended a 70-acre VMP burn
  • →4 local and regional events
  • →5 members pursuing CARX Burn Boss certifications · 7 classes completed
WRTC RFFC Subaward · $179,000

Awarded through the Watershed Research and Training Center's Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Grant. Fiscal sponsor: UCANR. Supporting burn permitting, training, landowner outreach, media, and stakeholder programming.

Looking Ahead

TPBA is actively supporting Tuolumne County landowners across a range of property types — ranches, orchards, forest land, and community spaces — in planning and preparing for prescribed burns in fall and winter 2026–27.

Our work includes site visits, burn plan development, volunteer coordination, training, and biochar production. We're also working alongside Columbia College's FNR program and other regional partners to build local prescribed fire capacity.

Want to be part of it?

If you own land in Tuolumne County and want to explore prescribed fire, reach out. We'll come to you.

Request a Site Visit →
Field Notes

News & Updates

View All Posts
Community members at a TPBA burn day
Essential Reading

Rx Fire Field Guide for Landowners

Burn complexity, permits, liability, go/no-go decisions, mop-up, and more — in plain language for California private landowners. Published by CAL FIRE & Placer Resource Conservation District.

TPBA equipment trailer loaded and ready for a burn day
Tools & Logistics

TPBA tools — and how to qualify to borrow them

Find out what equipment TPBA has available, what the qualifications are to borrow it, and how to get set up for your burn day.

Coming Soon
Resources

Tools, Funding & Reference

Essential resources for Tuolumne County landowners and fire practitioners — from local burn day information to statewide prescribed fire guidance and funding opportunities.

Tuolumne County
California Statewide
Guides & Planning
Funding & Support
Get In Touch

Ready to
burn with us?

Whether you're a landowner with questions, a partner organization, or someone who just wants to show up and help — reach out. We're a friendly bunch.

📍
Location Tuolumne County, California
Sierra Nevada Foothills
🌐
Web TuolumnePBA.org
📧
Email
📞
Phone (209) 218-6328