Certification will train landowners and help decrease liability

 Santa Fe – The Energy Minerals and Natural Resources Department’s Forestry Division has established a voluntary Prescribed Burn Certification program for landowners who wish to conduct prescribed burns on their properties. 

 In February 2021, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Prescribed Burning Act. Certification provides landowners and contractors with the knowledge and training to reduce hazardous fuel on private property through prescribed fire, which helps reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires on the specific property and the surrounding community.  

 Prescribed burning is a traditional practice in communities across New Mexico. The Prescribed Burning Act responded to a statewide need to clarify liability and provide training for New Mexico landowners and contractors who wish to conduct pile or broadcast burns on private land. A pile burn involves moving vegetation into a pile and then burning it; a broadcast burn lights a fire across an area.

 Through training, applicants will learn safety methods and critical concepts of timing and fire behavior for both pile burns and broadcast burns. 

 The certification training course can be accessed through a free web-based state Forestry Division website portal. Once there, applicants can create a free Canvas account and follow the prompts to gain access successfully. Once the online, nine-element training course and the proficiency workbook are completed, a Certified Burn Manager Certification Committee will review and determine whether the applicant has met all the criteria to become a certified burn manager. The training is self-paced; applicants may train for certification in one or both burning methods. 

 The Certified Prescribed Burn Committee consists of members from a non-governmental organization, the New Mexico Prescribed Fire Council, and a representative from the Forestry Division appointed by the State Forester. Committee members oversee the development and updates to training modules, refresher courses and recertification processes.

 “Prescribed burns are needed to clean out the overgrowth that leads to high-severity wildfire,” said State Forester Laura McCarthy. “This program will improve the safety of prescribed burning and help maintain healthy forests and wildlife habitat.”

 “Certification in the program will give landowners the training to conduct prescribed burns safely,” said Brian Filip, the Forestry Division’s Prescribed Burn Coordinator. “This is great for private property owners who wish to use prescribed burning and will benefit their neighbors by reducing brush and trees that could otherwise fuel a future wildfire.”

 For more information about the Prescribed Burn Certification process or to start the process yourself, visit our website: https://www.emnrd.nm.gov/sfd/prescribed-burning /. Additional questions may be directed to Brian Filip, Prescribed Burn Coordinator, brian.filip@emnrd.nm.gov