MDC offering Prescribed Burn Workshop at Busch Conservation Area April 24

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Prescribed burns help landowners achieve management goals and benefit native plants and wildlife at the same time.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a Prescribed Burn Workshop for landowners Thursday, April 24 from 6 – 9 p.m. at MDC’s St. Louis Regional Office, located on the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area.  This workshop is part of MDC’s commitment to work with landowners interested in learning how to properly and safely utilize prescribed fire to manage grasslands, prairies, woodlands, glades and other natural communities on their land.

Participants will learn about burn equipment, burn line installation, safe weather parameters, ignition operations, and other techniques to safely conduct a prescribed burn.  The workshop will be taught by prescribed burn-certified MDC staff with an emphasis on the value and purpose of prescribed fire as a land management tool.  A demonstration burn will not be conducted.

The workshop is a prerequisite for having a burn plan developed by NRCS or MDC.  This course is not needed for those utilizing qualified contractors but is required for anyone planning to get cost share in the future and do the burn themselves.  It also meets the new requirements for Missouri House Bill 369 which went into effect in 2021.

The certification requires participants to take the online “Official Missouri Prescribed Burn Course” before attending the in-person portion. There is a $25 charge to a third-party host (not MDC) for the online portion and usually takes between 2 - 4 hours to complete. To register for the online portion, go to http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4zz. Attendees should bring their certificate of completion from the online course to the workshop.

The in-person Prescribed Burn Workshop is free; however, advanced online registration is required at http://short.mdc.mo.gov/4jR.

The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area is in St. Charles at 2360 Highway D, two miles west of Highway 94. 

For more information, contact MDC Private Land Conservationist Joey Rasco, Joey.Rasco@mdc.mo.gov.