Last week, I had the chance to attend a “burn school” hosted by the Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) at Crones Cradle Conserve in Citra, Florida — and it turned out to be one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve had in a while.
Set on over 750 acres of land that feel like a step back in time, Crones Cradle is part working farm, part nature preserve, and 100% dedicated to nurturing the land, wildlife, and people. It was the perfect setting for a week of learning about something that’s as old as nature itself: fire.
Each day, we were treated to homemade hot lunches (and dessert!) served up with true generosity — just one of many things that made the experience feel personal and rooted. Our classroom looked like something straight out of a Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings novel — a cozy, wood-paneled cabin wrapped in windows and surrounded by the sounds of nature. If it weren’t for the air conditioning and indoor plumbing, I might’ve believed I was in the 1930s.
But the real heart of the week was fire — specifically, prescribed fire, which is the controlled use of fire to manage natural landscapes. This practice is critical to the health of many ecosystems, especially the longleaf pine forests that once blanketed the southeastern U.S. in about 90 million acres of coverage. Today, we’re down to around 3 million acres.
Prescribed fire is essential to restoring these habitats. It helps reduce the fuel that can cause dangerous wildfires, encourages new plant growth, improves forage for wildlife, and keeps ecosystems in balance. Before Europeans arrived, Native Americans understood this intuitively and often set fires intentionally when lightning didn’t take care of it naturally.
Crones Cradle and the Prescribed Burn Association teamed up to give landowners, students, and professionals a hands-on education in how to bring fire back to the land — safely and with purpose.
Throughout the week, I picked up more than just technical knowledge. I gained a new respect for fire — for its power, its role in nature, and the people who steward it responsibly. And of course, I heard a few memorable one-liners along the way:
• “Good fires prevent bad ones.”
• “It’s not arson if you have a permit.”
• “If you ain’t learning, you ain’t burning.”
Prescribed burning isn’t just science — it’s also a culture. A deeply rooted, passionate, fire-loving culture that’s committed to restoration and renewal.
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