The Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program (CPFTP) is designed for Canadian ecosystems, policies, and operational realities, with a focus on the planning and implementation of prescribed fire as a proactive land management tool. While the program is housed at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus (UBCO), non-credit courses will be delivered through a decentralized, national training model.
The program is supported by Regional Leads and partners across provinces and territories. This structure ensures training reflects local conditions and regional realities, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
The curriculum will be developed over the next couple of years by a team with deep experience in prescribed fire, wildfire management, and applied fire science. CPFTP’s leadership brings decades of field-based experience together with research expertise grounded in real-world planning, decision-making, and risk management.
Photo: UBCO/M. Bourbonnais
CPFTP training will be designed for practitioners involved in prescribed fire planning and implementation, including:
Clear pathways will support learners in different roles and contexts, with consistent expectations and experience-informed learning.
Training will focus on standardized competencies for key roles involved in prescribed fire planning and implementation, including:
Additional course material will address integrated fire management planning, policy and legislation, and include introductory content for those interested in how prescribed fire supports ecological and land management objectives.
Training will be delivered through a flexible mix of learning formats, including:
Online courses (both live and self-paced)
Hands-on experiential learning
These non-credit courses will range from introductory offerings for a broad audience, to specialized technical training for experienced prescribed fire practitioners. The curriculum will be modular, allowing learners to tailor training to their experience level and professional or organizational needs.
Fire is a powerful ecological process, but it is also complex and carries inherent risk. Using fire deliberately on the landscape requires training grounded in applied experience, scientific understanding, and regional context.
Across Canada, prescribed fire is planned and implemented by practitioners working within diverse ecological, regulatory, and operational contexts.
Practitioners need the skills and knowledge to forecast fire behaviour under specific fuels, weather, and terrain conditions, and to apply prescribed fire with care and sound judgement. CPFTP will address these needs through role-based training that reflects how prescribed fire is planned and implemented in practice.
To reflect Canada’s diverse ecosystems and fire regimes, CPFTP’s work is organized across five regions. This structure ensures training is informed by local ecological conditions while aligned through shared national standards.
Western: British Columbia and Alberta
Central: Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Eastern: Ontario and Québec
Atlantic: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador
Northern: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
Regional Leads and partners help ensure training is grounded in place, while contributing to a nationally coordinated approach to prescribed fire training in Canada.
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