Who We Are
The Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange is an inter-agency collective established to increase capacity for knowledge sharing and training surrounding the use of prescribed fire as a management tool in Canadian prairie and parkland ecosystems.
The CPPFE does not conduct prescribed fires, but instead provides learning and training opportunities, facilitates equipment and resource sharing, and acts as a hub for current fire science and grassland fire knowledge. We’re here to help fire practitioners of all backgrounds, from landowners, to communities, to conservation groups and even experienced firefighters.
Our community of agencies and practitioners is driven by the urgent need to build capacity and share knowledge on the use of prescribed fire. Our partners include notable experts with many decades of experience planning, leading, and assisting with prescribed fires.
Collectively, our group manages millions of hectares of grasslands and parklands across western Canada. We understand that fire is an essential component of those ecosystems and that more fire is needed to address the accelerating decline of biodiversity occurring in our prairie.
Photo: Angie Li
Our Mission
Photo: Angie Li
To establish a curriculum and provide training to all groups or individual practitioners interested in utilizing prescribed fire as a management tool in the prairie and parkland ecosystems.
To raise awareness of the importance of fire as an instrument for conservation, traditional practice, and public safety.
To facilitate and encourage research opportunities exploring the effects of fire on biodiversity, natural disturbance regimes, and other metrics.
To develop a shared equipment cache with member groups, in order to increase capacity for prescribed fire operations amongst partners.
To facilitate opportunities for partners to jointly participate in other organizations’ prescribed fire activities.
The Weston Family Foundation, through the Weston Family Prairie Grasslands Initiative, provided the funding for the creation of the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange.
The CPPFE is housed within Meewasin; a non-profit organization that exists to ensure a balance between human use and conservation for a healthy and vibrant river valley in the Saskatoon region.