By Andi Anderson
Purdue Forestry and Natural Resources (FNR), in partnership with the National Wild Turkey Foundation (NWTF) and several conservation organizations, has launched the new Learn-N-Burn Trailer to support prescribed fire education and training across Indiana. The mobile unit will help increase awareness, improve accessibility to equipment, and encourage the safe use of prescribed burns for land management.
The trailer will be managed by Danielle Howard, Extension Prescribed Fire Specialist, and will serve as a key resource during training workshops throughout the state. The initiative aims to provide landowners, conservation professionals, and contractors with hands-on experience and practical knowledge needed to safely conduct prescribed burns.
"Getting access to equipment can be a big hurdle for private landowners who are just starting to use prescribed fire," Howard explained. "The Learn-N-Burn trailer will allow new burners to safely get hands-on experience, which is the first step in making fire a more widely used tool across Indiana."
Learn-N-Burn workshops are designed to help participants become certified prescribed burn managers. Purdue FNR plans to conduct at least three training sessions annually, with each program expected to serve a minimum of 25 participants. These workshops will strengthen knowledge of safe fire management while promoting conservation practices that improve land health.
The trailer will also support the development of Prescribed Burn Associations (PBAs), which are groups of landowners who cooperate to conduct controlled burns on private properties. While Indiana currently has one PBA, conservation partners are working to establish additional associations across the state in the coming years.
The Learn-N-Burn Trailer was modeled after similar units funded by the National Wild Turkey Foundation in other states. These trailers have successfully supported prescribed fire training and conservation outreach programs, particularly in Missouri, where they have played an important role in local burn efforts.
"Indiana falls within the heart of our Roots to Roost Regional hub," said Ryan Boyer, NWTF Midwest Director of Conservation Operations. "Our initiative specifically outlines goals tied to expanding the implementation of prescribed fire in the region to incorporate the disturbance needed to set back succession and promote the vegetative response our birds need for nesting and brood rearing cover. The NWTF Roots to Roost region is more than 90% privately owned across eight states and providing support to help implement and promote more active management on private lands is vital to moving the needle for our beloved game bird. This work will also improve habitat for other ground nesting game birds and non-game species."
Funding for the trailer was primarily provided by the Indiana chapter of NWTF, with additional support from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Pheasants Forever, Quail Forever, The Nature Conservancy, Sam Shine Foundation, and the Indiana Prescribed Fire Council.
The trailer contains all necessary firefighting and safety equipment, including drip torches, rakes, water pumps, chainsaws, weather monitors, radios, protective clothing, and other essential tools. Its bright exterior graphics highlight the environmental benefits of prescribed burning and will help promote outreach at public events.
"The NWTF State Board supports projects like the burn trailer because habitat management is so critical to the success of turkey and other game birds in the state of Indiana," said Mike Bonin, president of the Indiana NWTF Board of Directors. "Controlled burning is a great tool and educating people to use it properly will continue growing a healthy population of turkeys in the future."
"The Learn-N-Burn trailer will be a key tool for getting more good fire on the ground in Indiana," Purdue extension wildlife specialist Jarred Brooke said. "We will be able to pull up to a site or training with everything needed to conduct a safe prescribed fire. It also will serve as a rolling billboard highlighting the ecological role of fire in Indiana’s ecosystems."
The new trailer is expected to play a major role in expanding prescribed fire education, supporting habitat restoration, and helping landowners safely manage natural resources across Indiana for years to come.
Photo Credit: ontario-ministry-of-natural-resources
Categories: Indiana, Education