Strategies to reintroduce prescribed fire as a land management tool in southern Saskatchewan grasslands.

Background/Question/Methods

Prescribed fire is a natural, ecosystem-based process applied in fire-adapted ecosystems to reduce risk of large, catastrophic wildfires, enhance productivity and biodiversity, and share knowledge of the land and culture. In the Canadian prairies, fire suppression followed colonization, and along with associated development, fragmentation, and altered disturbance regimes, has contributed to widespread reduction in quantity and quality of grassland habitats, observed declines in wildlife, and more frequent and damaging wildfires. Efforts to reintroduce prescribed fire in the region have had variable levels of success, and often face complex, interrelated obstacles to successful implementation. While a few agencies and practitioners in the region have safely and effectively conducted prescribed fires for many years, persistent negative attitudes by the public and a general lack of education, experience, opportunities for training, and sufficient, sustained funding constrain program advancement. Prescribed fire has been underutilized, while at the same time holds significant promise when part of an integrated, multidisciplinary approach, to address chronic land management and socioeconomic issues. A comparative analysis of strategies and a case-oriented, narrative approach within a framework of coordination and cooperation were employed to evaluate the prescribed fire community’s endeavours in southern Saskatchewan and recommend possible refinements to assist future progress.

Results/Conclusions

Thematic data collected during a multiagency workshop in 2020, comprised of 10 conservation-oriented government and NGO organizations, stressed the importance of access to education and training, interagency information sharing, and public engagement. Agencies were limited by available skilled personnel, institutional and jurisdictional barriers, liability concerns, weather and site complexities, and focused on the need for formalized agreements and consistent funding. A comparative analysis of agency strategies from 2016 to 2020 indicated established programs with access to structured training and dedicated personnel, investing significant funds, accomplished the largest areas burned. In contrast, an agency with limited funding utilizing a low-cost collaborative approach, with access to a large pool of experienced, engaged volunteers, burned most frequently. Based on existing relationships between groups, a successful funding proposal to a private foundation in 2021 facilitated the formation of the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange, the first of its kind in the region. The Exchange provides support in developing collaborative agreements, access to curriculum, training and equipment, processes to address liabilities, mechanisms to integrate local knowledge and provide public outreach, and coordinating formal research opportunities. Our results emphasize the importance of collaboration to overcome barriers, build successful programs, and accomplish shared goals and objectives.