Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange

10/14/2026

Still blacklining!

The Meewasin crews and its partners are still out at Chief Whitecap Park, working around the perimeter of the burn units. Blacklining means burning a narrow strip along the edge first, so the area is already burned (black) and acts as a control line. When the main burn happens, the fire has nowhere to go but inward.

It’s careful, patient prep work, and it’s what makes prescribed fire safe. TREX starts October 19.

10/14/2026

Prep work is underway at Chief Whitecap Park!

Today the Meewasin crew along with its partners are black lining the perimeter of three burn units ahead of next week's TREX (Prescribed Fire Training Exchange).

What's blacklining? We use controlled, low-intensity fire to burn a "box" of vegetation around the edge of a burn unit. That blackened strip has no fuel left, so it acts as a built-in firebreak. When the main burn happens, the fire has nowhere to go but inward, which keeps it safely contained.

It's one of the key ways prescribed fire is planned and carried out safely.

TREX runs October 19–23. Follow along for updates from the field.

10/13/2026

The 5th Annual Canadian Prairies Training Exchange (TREX) is one week away!

What is it?

TREX is a Prescribed Fire Training Exchange. Fire practitioners, land managers, students, partners, and community members come together to learn and practice prescribed fire side by side, on real prairie landscapes. Think of it as a hands-on classroom where the lesson is fire.

The training exchange runs from October 19-23 | Saskatoon, SK

Stay tuned to our social media channels and website for daily updates.
Visit: grasslandfire.ca/TREX for more.



The Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange is funded by the Weston Family Foundation through the Prairie Grasslands Initiative and managed by the Meewasin Valley Authority.

10/13/2026

Don't miss the Good Fire Forum, hosted by the Capital Regional District's Braided Wildfire Initiative.

This free online event will explore how beneficial fire can be safely and effectively reintroduced to the landscape across Vancouver Island.

Hear from experts, practitioners, Elders, and knowledge keepers who are actively advancing prescribed and cultural burning in their communities, including representatives from our partners; the Stuartburn Prescribed Burn Association, sharing their experience with community-led burning in Manitoba.

Featured speakers include: • Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle Elders and Knowledge Keepers

• Colleen Ross (Burn Boss, CR Professional)

• James Miskelly (Biologist, Canadian Forest Service)

If you're curious about bringing good fire back to the land, learning about prescribed and cultural burning, or connecting with those leading this important work, this conversation is for you.

Date: Thursday, October 15

Time: 2:00 PM

Attendance is online & free but registration is required.

Registration link in bio

10/13/2026

10/12/2026

Today, we give thanks.

We’re grateful for the land that sustains us, the communities that surround us, and the relationships that connect us.

As we gather and reflect, may we carry that gratitude forward through care for one another and for the prairies, forests, and waters we call home.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Canadian prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange.

10/10/2026

Fire and grazing have worked together on grasslands for centuries. What can modern ranchers learn from this natural partnership?

This Saturday's read explores how patch-burn grazing creates healthier, more resilient rangelands while providing benefits for livestock operations.
Working With Fire: How Patch-Burn Grazing Delivers Value for Rangelands and Ranchers
Read it now on our website. https://www.grasslandfire.ca/science-feature/working-with-fire-how-patch-burn-grazing-delivers-value-for-rangelands-and-ranchersnbsp



The Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange is funded by the Weston Family Foundation through the Prairie Grassland Initiative and managed by the Meewasin Valley Authority.

Photo Credit: AMCP

10/09/2026

The best time to prepare for fire is before it happens.

Fire Prevention Week may be wrapping up, but the work continues.
This year's theme, "Charge Into Fire Safety: Safe Charging Is a Superpower," reminds us that prevention starts with everyday actions. From safely charging the devices we rely on to proactively reducing wildfire risk on the landscape, prevention is about making informed choices before an emergency happens.

At the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange (CPPFE), our Training Exchanges (TREX) and partnerships demonstrate another side of fire prevention: using cultural and prescribed fire to reduce hazardous fuels, support ecosystem health, and strengthen community resilience.

By bringing together practitioners, Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, agencies, landowners, and community partners, we're building the skills, relationships, and experience needed to put good fire back on the landscape safely and effectively.

Fire prevention shouldn't just be a week. Let's make it a year-round commitment to preparedness, stewardship, and action.

Want to learn more about Prescribed Fire?
Follow our page, visit our website, and join the Urban Prescribed Fire Working Group conversation about building fire-adapted communities.

Register here: https://forms.gle/agagSzJAQfQkqX4i9



The Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange is funded by the Weston Family Foundation through the Prairie Grasslands Initiative and managed by the Meewasin Valley Authority.

10/09/2026

As Saskatchewan Agriculture Week continues, we're celebrating the producers, pasture managers, and community grazing organizations who help sustain both agricultural livelihoods and prairie ecosystems.

This year's theme celebrates the shared values we have as Canadians in agriculture, conservation and food production. Healthy native grasslands support livestock production, provide critical habitat for birds, pollinators, and wildlife, store carbon, improve water infiltration, and strengthen resilience across the prairie landscape.

This week, explore our latest article: Two Terms, One Prairie Fire: What's the Difference Between Pyric Herbivory and Patch-Burn Grazing?
Discover how prescribed fire and strategic grazing work together to maintain the diversity, productivity, and ecological function of working rangelands, demonstrating that agriculture and conservation can thrive side by side.

Read more: https://www.grasslandfire.ca/fire-story-articles/x2cbzz6mwfscjlt1jtep9o4aw2cx77

As we continue celebrating Saskatchewan Agriculture Week through October 11, we thank everyone across the province who is stewarding native prairie, supporting sustainable agriculture, and investing in the future of our grasslands.

10/08/2026

As the summer growing season winds down and vegetation begins to cure, an important window opens for prescribed fire across our grasslands.

A special thank you to our partners and volunteers who are busy preparing for the fall burn season by creating and maintaining the fire guards needed to support safe and effective prescribed fire activities:

-University of Saskatchewan
-Saskatoon Public Schools, Brightwater Centre
-Sask Parks, Pike Lake Provincial Park
-Wanuskewin Heritage Park
-Nature Conservancy of Canada
-City of Saskatoon, Naturalized Parks

Prescribed fire is an important grassland management tool that helps:

-Recycle nutrients back into the soil
-Manage litter and remove accumulated dead plant material
-Improve habitat for grassland species
-Reduce wildfire risk near communities

Behind every successful prescribed fire is careful planning, preparation and collaboration.

So, when you see our partners and volunteers out on the landscape this October, know that they are helping carry out science-based, collaborative work to support healthy and resilient grasslands for the long term.

Stay tuned for updates from our fall burn season! Visit www.grasslandfire.ca/TREX



The Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange is funded by the Weston Family Foundation through the Prairie Grasslands Initiative and managed by the Meewasin Valley Authority.