Training New Leaders in Fire Management
A TNC-led event fosters collaboration for more effective—and safe—ecological management with fire.
Despite the day’s heat, all the people gathering in small groups at The Nature Conservancy’s Wells Barrens Preserve in southern Maine are clad in dark green heavy fire-retardant pants and bright yellow long-sleeved shirts, with hard hats atop their heads. As the logos on the pickup trucks in the parking lot show, today’s participants have traveled from as far away as Maryland and work at a broad range of organizations, from state and federal agencies to environmental nonprofits. They’re gathered together here for two weeks to hone their skills at managing prescribed fires.
Many ecosystems, including the sandplain grasslands at Wells Barrens, are fire-adapted—meaning that the native plants depend on periodic burning. Without regular fires, the grasslands at Wells Barrens would be quickly overgrown with gray birch, red oak and other non-fire-tolerant trees—and the rare birds and snakes who nest in the grasslands would be out of a home. Prescribed burns are an important tool for land management—but they are complex, so rigorous training is essential to ensure safety.
The 30 participants are gathered here for a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange, known as TREX for short—a two-week opportunity for fire management practitioners to learn from each other and apply established procedures and best practices to their work. Tomorrow is going to be a burn day, and today is dedicated to reviewing roles, responsibilities and procedures. TREX participants work with mentors to learn new roles in fire management leadership: from firefighters to squad leaders to burn bosses, and, ultimately, incident commanders—the one in charge on the burn site.
Learning from Each Other
On this day, Jon Bailey, TNC in Maine’s Southern Preserves manager, is serving as the actual incident commander.
“We always say that we're always students of fire,” says Bailey. “And so, wherever you are in that learning approach, from the new person to the most senior, they always need to be absorbing and learning and adapting to stay safe and to meet the objectives for the burn.”
Bailey is also serving as a mentor for Chase McLean, TNC’s conservation steward in Maryland. McLean is working toward certifying as an incident commander and sticks close to Bailey as he practices managing the significant responsibilities of this leadership role.
“All of the best learning and growing happens on the fire line,” says McLean. “And it all happens under the mentorship and guidance of someone who knows a little bit more, who has a little bit more knowledge and skills and experience.”
Standing nearby, Forest Ranger Aliesha Black of the Maine Forest Service is here to mentor a burn boss and adds:
“When you're mentoring somebody, you're given this opportunity to give them perspective from your side—which is not always the same as theirs and it's not always the same as the way they were taught, and that can be really helpful.”
Once a plan for the day has been discussed, the circle of participants breaks back into small groups that begin walking around tomorrow’s burn sites, talking about expected tasks, procedures, wind and weather monitoring, safety precautions and many more considerations necessary to run a successful “incident.”
“We use the incident management system, which is what the National Wildfire Coordinating Group uses,” Bailey explains. “So, if you went on a wildfire out west or you went to a fire in Florida, we're all speaking the same language.”
Scenes from 2025 TREX
Managing Fire-Adapted Places
So why do we do this work at all?
Sasha Berleman, Appalachians fire director for TNC, explains why it’s important for her work this way:
“Ninety percent of North America’s ecosystems are fire adapted, and that's true in the Appalachians as well. We’ve got ecosystems across the Appalachians that are dependent on frequent fire in order to be resilient and thrive.”
Collaboration and learning also means incorporating perspectives and experiences from new partners, says Berleman.
“A huge part of the reason…North America’s…ecosystems are fire adapted is because Indigenous Peoples have been burning for millennia and they continue to hold this knowledge of the dependency of these plants and animals on fire and particular kinds of fire. And so,” Berleman continues, “the incorporation of Indigenous Peoples and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples to re-indigenize fire on the landscape as a tool and as a relative really is central to this work.”
“Our relationship to fire and the land is very important,” says Amelia St. John, a member of the Houlton Band of Maliseets and the Ancestral Knowledge Institute coordinator for the Bomazeen Land Trust. “It's critical to both our connection and our relationship—and our obligation—to taking care of this land and taking care of our relatives and our ancestors that are all around us.”
“Humans…are a fire-dependent species,” adds Berleman. “If we can build viable fire cultures and return fire to the lands and to communities, then we can build a more resilient future.”
Quote: Sasha Berleman
The incorporation of Indigenous Peoples and empowerment of Indigenous Peoples to re-indigenize fire on the landscape as a tool and as a relative really is central to this work.
Working as a Team
As the day wound down, the TREX crew returned to the training’s home base—a nearby summer camp facility—and enjoyed a hearty meal and talking around (what else?) a campfire. After a good night’s rest, they were back at Wells Barrens Preserve for their first prescribed fire as a team. Despite local drought conditions, this collection of experts was given unique permission to move ahead with the burn. Their training and collaborative approach ensured that it went exactly as planned.
As Bailey told the crew at the outset of TREX, “The plan is to train, learn and burn.” And that’s exactly what they did.
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