EcoCultural Fire Trainings

The Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance offers a series of trainings as part of the Lake EcoCultural Cal-TREX to support our community in safely and effectively implementing prescribed and cultural fire.

Our trainings focus on learning about good fire through an EcoCultural Stewardship lens.

EcoCultural Stewardship is the practice of tending a landscape in a way that is ecologically restorative while also building reciprocal relationship between people and the land, where we tend plants and animals that are culturally significant as materials for Native culture, including foods, medicine, tools, clothes, and ceremony. 

Many of our trainings also incorporate curriculum from the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and support building NWCG qualifications for fireline positions.

TERA’s EcoCultural Fire Trainings build knowledge and skills to bring good fire back to our lands.

Apply now for our Fall 2025 EcoCultural Fire Trainings!

Trainings are held primarily outdoors in Lake and Mendocino Counties.

Individuals from all backgrounds and regions are welcome to apply. Priority acceptance for local, Native community members in Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma Counties.

  • This five-day hands-on introductory course combines ecocultural fire content with NWCG Basic Wildland Firefighter curriculum (ICS-100, L-180, S-130, and S-190).

    Includes work capacity test (WCT) and practice shelter deployment, and meets NWCG requirements for qualification as Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2).

    Online completion of IS-700 is required prior to the start of the course. For directions on how to complete the course, go to this help page.

    Dates: Monday-Friday, September 15-19, 2025

    Location: Upper Lake, CA

  • This two-day workshop is designed to prepare all Lake EcoCultural Cal-TREX participants for a successful season of burning, combining hands-on fireline skills building activities with the RT-130 Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher required to maintain currency for NWCG positions.

    Dates: Tuesday, September 30th-October 1st, 2025

    Location: TBD

  • This day-long, hands-on workshop includes live fire demonstrations, weather permitting. For beginning and experienced fire practitioners.

    Dates: October 21, 2025

    Location: TBD

  • This two-day NWCG course covers the roles and responsibilities of a firing boss (FIRB) for planning, execution, safety, coordination, and evaluation of an ignition operation on a wildland or prescribed fire. As with all of TERA's EcoCultural Fire Trainings, this course will also incorporate EcoCultural concepts relevant to putting fire on the ground in our specific context.


    Working with a burn unit that is part of the Lake County EcoCultural Cal-TREX, students will prepare a firing plan and briefing that contains desired fire behavior, firing techniques, required resources, coordination, safety and risk management factors, and communication, to meet specific objectives.

    Late 2025/Early 2026 dates to be announced

  • This two-day NWCG course is designed as a self-assessment opportunity for individuals preparing to step into a leadership role. The course combines one day of outdoor classroom instruction followed by a second day in the field with students working through a series of problem solving events in small teams. Topics include leadership values and principles, transition challenges for new leaders, situational leadership, team cohesion factors, ethical decision-making, and after action review techniques.

    Prerequisites: Qualified as Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2) and participation in at least 3 cultural or prescribed burns.

    Future Dates to be announced

In addition to these trainings, we offer hands-on learning though participating in burns with our EcoCultural Fire Crew. Learn more and apply now.

  • Thanks to the generosity of our grant partners, these trainings are offered at no cost. Stipends are available for Tribal member participants upon request. Non-Native participants who are accepted to trainings are highly encouraged to contribute a sliding scale donation to TERA to support our work (suggested donation $25-$150 per day of training).

    If you have questions about these trainings, please call (707) 278-8019 or contact us via email at goodfire@tribalecorestoration.org.

  • Thanks to the generosity of our grant partners, these trainings are offered at no cost. Stipends are available for Tribal member participants upon request. Non-Native participants who are accepted to trainings are highly encouraged to contribute a sliding scale donation to TERA to support our work (suggested donation $25-$150 per day of training).

    If you have questions about these trainings, please call (707) 278-8019 or contact us via email at goodfire@tribalecorestoration.org.

  • Thanks to the generosity of our grant partners, these trainings are offered at no cost. Stipends are available for Tribal member participants upon request. Non-Native participants who are accepted to trainings are highly encouraged to contribute a sliding scale donation to TERA to support our work (suggested donation $25-$150 per day of training).

    If you have questions about these trainings, please call (707) 278-8019 or contact us via email at goodfire@tribalecorestoration.org.

  • Thanks to the generosity of our grant partners, these trainings are offered at no cost. Stipends are available for Tribal member participants upon request. Non-Native participants who are accepted to trainings are highly encouraged to contribute a sliding scale donation to TERA to support our work (suggested donation $25-$150 per day of training).

    If you have questions about these trainings, please call (707) 278-8019 or contact us via email at goodfire@tribalecorestoration.org.

These trainings are part of the Lake EcoCultural Cal-TREX, a prescribed and cultural fire training exchange led by the TERA in partnership with Tribes, agencies, and community organizations.