Stewardship — What Is It?

As the seasons change, so too does the work. When the days grow shorter and plant life falls dormant in preparation for winter, typically in November, the focus turns to prescribed fire and brush control, which continues through winter until the following May. Winter workdays often consist of chainsaw work, felling trees and bucking limbs, removing invasive brush and chemically treating the stumps to prevent regrowth. Crews may also work on firebreaks to preparation for dormant fire season.   
​Would you like to help MRCP fulfill its mission? No prior experience is necessary. All activities will be discussed and demonstrated at the start of the workday.  Sign-Up to Volunteer and tell us what activities interest you. As workdays approach, we will notify you our request for help. In addition, you can find all workdays on the  Scheduled Workdays page.

When weather conditions permit, trained volunteers may safely implement prescribed fire at select sites throughout the region. Perhaps you have witnessed a prescribed burn in the past. Often in the spring and fall you can see to result of months of hard work rising into the atmosphere, light-colored smoke, followed by blackened earth on the ground.  Controlled burns take weeks of planning and preparation.  But no other tool is as beneficial and rewarding as fire. For those interested, basic wildland fire certification can be completed right in your own home with additional required fieldwork available at select sites.  For more information, see the Prescribed Fire page.  ​