Episode Summary

Prescribed fire has evolved from ancient, indigenous land care to a modern toolbox in conservation and sustainable agriculture. Mechanization and chemical substitutes led to its decline, but renewed interest—rooted in both ecological science and cultural revival—has reinvigorated prescribed burning as a vital, multi-purpose land management practice. Amanda Stallman joins us for this episode to provide valuable insight for modern practices and resources like local fire departments, colleges, and land trusts can help farmers learn and utilize prescribed fires.

Episode Resources

Prescribed Fire ‘how-to’ videos:

• Tallgrass Prairie Center – “Basic Prescribed Fire Techniques – Demonstration Burn” and “Conducting A Prescribed Burn” videos towards the bottom: https://tallgrassprairiecenter.org/videos
• ISU-Extension – Planning a prescribed burn series of videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpkEiJv9k6M1hUflhvVGvqMt1p7H-v3Oc

Basic Smoke Management Practices

Local USDA Service Center Finder/Contact – Find prescribed burn plan template/job sheet and local contractors list: https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app