Why We Need Good Fire (and Prescribed Burning)
A 2023 report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee estimated that climate-exacerbated wildfires cost the United States between $394 billion and $893 billion each year in economic losses and damages. In recent years, the need to manage wildfires has become increasingly urgent, especially as climate change heightens the risk of fires across various landscapes. One effective strategy for addressing this issue is the use of prescribed burns, which are controlled fires intentionally set under specific conditions.
The primary objective of prescribed burns is to minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfires. By reducing excess fuel loads—particularly in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where urban development meets wilderness—we can significantly lower the chances of dangerous fire outbreaks. Moreover, these efforts go beyond fire prevention; they also enhance ecosystem health, improve wildlife habitats, and promote biodiversity.
Through careful management and scientific understanding, prescribed burns serve as an invaluable tool in our arsenal against wildfires. Not only do they help protect communities, but they also contribute positively to the environment, fostering resilient ecosystems that can thrive even under the pressures of climate change.
Planning a Burn
Prescribed burns—and good fire practices in general—really start with solid preparation. It’s not just about what happens on the day of the burn; it’s a process that can take weeks, months, or even years to get right. While the excitement of putting fire to the land might grab your attention, the planning behind it is crucial and involves a lot of careful work to make sure everything goes as planned and achieves its goals.
For those professionals planning a burn, it’s essential to think about the unique characteristics of the different ecosystems in play. Each ecosystem has its own slope aspects, which refer to the angle and direction of the land. For instance, south-facing slopes tend to get more sunlight and dry out more, which can increase fire behavior. On the other hand, north-facing slopes usually hold onto moisture better and can support different kinds of vegetation. Understanding these details helps create a safer and more effective burning process.
In addition to slope aspects, fuel loads play a critical role in fire dynamics. Fuel loads encompass all combustible materials present in an area, including grasses, shrubs, and trees. The quantity, type, arrangement, and moisture content of these fuels can drastically affect how a fire ignites, spreads, and ultimately behaves. For instance, dense underbrush can create a hotter and faster-burning fire, while areas with sparse vegetation may result in a slower, less intense burn.
Furthermore, understanding the ecosystem’s history and current health is key to identifying the best timing and conditions for a prescribed burn. Different plant and animal species may respond uniquely to fire, and managing these interactions is crucial to maintaining ecological balance. For example, certain fire-adapted plants rely on fire to regenerate, whereas others may be vulnerable and require specific considerations to ensure their survival.
Weather factors like temperature, wind speed, and humidity also play a big role. By keeping an eye on these elements, land managers can plan burns that achieve ecological goals, improve habitat quality, and lower the chance of wildfires getting out of control.
By combining our knowledge of slope, fuel loads, and local ecosystems, fire and/or land management professionals can carry out prescribed burns safely and effectively. This way, they can achieve their goals while also protecting the environment and the communities around them.
Proper Preparation
The overarching aim of our efforts is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. We are making great strides towards safer communities by carefully reducing excess fuel loads throughout the 3,200-acre preserve before dangerous accumulation levels are reached. This is an especially important stewardship task in the wildland-urban interface (WUI)–or zones where urban development meets wildland, which are at higher risk for wildfires. In addition to enhancing public safety, our efforts also promote overall ecosystem health, benefiting wildlife and biodiversity and ultimately strengthening the entire ecosystem.
Case Study: Commemorating the Kincade Fire with a Prescribed Burn
Pepperwood overlooking Mt. St. Helena after the October 2019 Kincade Fire. Sonoma County, California–photo by Gerald & Buff Corsi.
On Thursday, October 23, 2025, we gathered with numerous community members to commemorate the anniversary of the Kincade Fire with a prescribed burn, led by CAL FIRE. It was a day of reflection, not only about the Kincade Fire but also about all the megafires of recent years that have profoundly impacted our communities. This event represented a concrete step toward a more sustainable future, where community participation and collaboration can lead to meaningful achievements.
In partnership with CAL FIRE Lake Napa Unit (LNU), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and Fire Forward, Pepperwood took an essential step in wildfire mitigation with a prescribed burn on 70 acres of land previously impacted by the Tubbs Fire in 2017.
This carefully planned burn represented a commitment to ecological stewardship. It was executed with multiple goals in mind, such as supporting biodiversity, advancing research that benefits both our community and the environment, and enhancing a strip of Pepperwood land that CAL FIRE has identified as a strategic fuel break–an area where vegetation is maintained to slow or stop the spread of wildfires.
Participants of the CAL FIRE-led prescribed burn in October 2025 included numerous members of the fire professional community as well as the fire science community, demonstrating how good fire and stewardship in general are at their heart, community-led resilience efforts.
Leading up to October’s prescribed burn, our stewardship team and a group of dedicated volunteers undertook herculean efforts to reduce fuel in the area. In the summer of 2022, we manually cut and stacked dead and downed vegetation, along with ladder fuels–vegetation that allows fire to climb from the ground into the treetops, increasing the risk of intense wildfires–into organized piles. These piles were then methodically burned during the winter of 2022-2023, setting the stage for our recent success.
This collaborative effort is a testament to what can be accomplished when communities come together for a common cause. We are incredibly grateful to our partners, volunteers, and everyone involved who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and efficacy of this process.
In the Weeds of this Burn: Unpacking the Objectives
Our work at Pepperwood exemplifies how prescribed burns and collaborative research can promote ecological health, safeguard communities, and prepare the way for a sustainable future. By understanding and embracing the vital role of fire in our ecosystems, we can cultivate a safer and more resilient environment for future generations.
This carefully executed burn had multiple objectives: enhancing a strategic fuel break to protect communities from wildfires, supporting biodiversity, and advancing vital research that provides tangible benefits to both our local environment and residents.
The data collected during this recent burn is invaluable for ongoing long-term monitoring projects. These initiatives involve vegetation and fuel assessments and live fuel moisture evaluations, all of which strengthen ecosystem resilience. Our commitment to these continuous efforts not only enhances our understanding of fire ecology but also calibrates the technology used by tech innovators seeking to augment fire safety through state-of-the-art digital tools.
Strategic Fuel Break
Fuel breaks are really important in the WUI. They create a barrier that slows down and can even stop wildfires. This not only reduces fire intensity but also gives firefighters a safer and more effective area to work in. Here are a few reasons why they matter:
- Increased Public Safety: Fuel breaks act as a protective barrier, making it harder for fires to spread into residential areas.
- Give Firefighters an Advantage: With these clear zones, firefighters have better control lines and safe work areas, making their firefighting efforts more effective and safer.
- Escape Routes: Depending on their placement, they can also serve as clear, safer escape routes for residents during a wildfire evacuation.
- Reduce Fire Intensity: By breaking up the continuity of fuels (like surface, ladder, and canopy fuels), fuel breaks can help lower flame length and intensity.
After the Kincade Fire in 2019, CAL FIRE recognized the primary North-South ridge at Pepperwood as a critical strategic fuel break for both Sonoma and Napa Counties. Firefighters successfully utilized this ridge during the Kincade Fire to prevent the flames from advancing toward the city of Santa Rosa, as they had during the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
This strategic use of the land was possible due to Pepperwood’s ongoing stewardship efforts, which ensure the careful management of vegetation in the area. The recent 70-acre prescribed burn occurred in a forested area adjacent to this crucial fuel break, reinforcing our steadfast and active commitment to protecting our communities from future wildfires.
Collaborative Research for a Safer Tomorrow
This particular burn project involved several esteemed research partners, including UC Berkeley, Stanford University, the California Department of Public Health, FireScore.AI, and, of course, Pepperwood’s own research team.
UC Berkeley – Kueppers Lab Group
We have a CAL FIRE grant, led by Dr. Lara Keuppers (pronounced “kippers”), to conduct pre/post burn vegetation (“fuels”) assessments to improve climate models. Here is a PWD blog article about this project: Predicting the Climate Future of Oak Woodlands.
Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment
Dr. Jessica Yu is studying air quality in association with Rx burns. Specifically, her team deployed sensors to monitor particulate matter (PM2.5) pre-, during, and post-burning.
California Department of Public Health
Dr. Alandra Lopez is also studying air quality in association with Rx burns, but instead of PM (as above), she’s interested in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition to concerns related to public health, VOCs are associated with smoke taint in grapes, and the reason burn windows in our region (i.e. wine region) are so limited. There is SO MUCH unknown about VOCs released during burning since essentially each vegetation species will release a unique profile of VOCs. Rather than using (very expensive sensors and still probably inaccurate), Alandra sampled VOCs directly using previously vacuum sealed tanks.
FireScore.AI
FireScore is a tech startup company attempting to make fire modeling and vegetation mapping more fine scale and accurate while decreasing the cost. They flew LiDAR via a drone over the burn area a couple days before the burn to build a fine scale vegetation map. During the burn and the days after the burn, they flew a thermal drone to map the live fire. This is the first time they’ve been able to get thermal data off live fire, so we presume this is a huge milestone for their company.
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Not research, per se, but the folks who issue the air quality permits for burns in the area this burn was in. A representative attended this burn and was very impressed by the collaboration among burn practitioners and researchers, indicative of positive momentum in this important stakeholder relationship.
Proactively Preparing for Our Climate Future
This prescribed burn not only marks a significant achievement in our wildfire mitigation efforts but also serves as a reminder of the importance of responsible land management as we embark into an uncertain climate future. As we move forward, we remain committed to protecting our environment and reducing wildfire risks through stewardship, scientific research and monitoring, innovative technology, and above all, community engagement.
Together, we can foster a safer, more resilient future for our communities and natural habitats. Thank you for joining us in this journey toward ecological stewardship!
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To ensure we can continue this vital work and expand our stewardship efforts, we urgently need your support. Your contribution can make a meaningful difference in shaping the future of stewardship in our region and beyond.
