Strengthening the national capacity for the safe, responsible and effective use of prescribed fire.
Led by Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, the Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program (CPFTP) addresses the ecological imbalance caused by decades of fire suppression by strengthening national capacity for the safe, effective use of prescribed fire. Through evidence-informed training, cross-disciplinary collaboration and respect for Indigenous-led fire stewardship, the program equips practitioners nationwide to restore healthier, more resilient landscapes.
Weston Family Foundation Partnership
The Canadian Prescribed Fire Training Program is a national initiative co-developed by the UBC Okanagan and the Weston Family Foundation. Housed within the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences—where wildfire and fire ecology research directly inform its training and education—the CPFTP is advancing the safe and effective use of prescribed fire to support healthier, more resilient ecosystems across Canada.
Training for Canadian Prescribed Fire Practitioners
These non-credit courses will be delivered through a decentralized, national training model ensuring the training reflects regional realities. The curriculum will be developed over the next couple years by a team with deep experience in prescribed fire, wildfire management and applied fire science.
Courses will be available for registration through UBC Continuing and Professional Education.
“Changing how we manage fuels, fires and landscapes are things we can address right now. We have policies and people who can do the work—including prescribed burning and thinning—and we have the knowledge.”
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais, The Future of Wildfire
Other Wildfire Programs
Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Ecology
and Management
Presented from both Indigenous and western perspectives, this program combines knowledge of western fire science and Indigenous ways of knowing with landscape and fire ecology and social sciences.
Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais
Director of the Fire Ecology and Remote Sensing Lab
Assistant Professor, UBC Okanagan
Dr. Bourbonnais is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at UBC Okanagan. He is the Principal’s Research Chair in Wildland Fire Risk and Fire Management, the Co-director of the UBC Centre for Wildfire Coexistence, and the Principal Investigator of the Earth Observation & Spatial Ecology Lab. Dr. Bourbonnais’ research spans the realms of technology and ecology. He develops new tools and sensors to monitor and predict fire risk, fire severity impacts on biodiversity, and to support prescribed fire planning, operations and monitoring. Dr. Bourbonnais is also a leader at UBCO in curriculum development. He is the Geospatial Program Chair and since joining UBCO in 2018, has developed and launched a Minor in Geospatial Sciences and the Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Ecology and Management Micro-credential Program. His research is informed by over a decade of experience in wildland fire management as a Wildland Firefighter with the Alberta Wildfire Rappel Program and Parks Canada.
