When Dave Van Bossuyt bought 61 acres of forest land in the Sierra Nevada east of Fresno, he had an ambitious plan for his retirement — restore the land to its natural state to look like it did 100 years ago, before so many non-native species were planted.

For the last seven years, he has been at work on his property in Dinkey Creek, thinning the forest and removing non-native trees and plants.

The next step in his plan is to conduct prescribed burns of the undergrowth to remove vegetation that could fuel a wildfire. Van Bossuyt knows a little about prescribed burns from his work for the U.S. Forest Service years ago. But where could he go now to learn techniques, rules and regulations for a prescribed burn?

Enter Southern California Edison, whose forestry staff in nearby Shaver Lake has conducted prescribed burns on the utility’s 20,000 acres of forest for more than 40 years. The low-intensity fires help thin the forest and remove undergrowth that could fuel a wildfire. Prescribed burns also stimulate native species like deer brush, Carpenteria and giant sequoia, which need fire to reproduce.

Because of its years of experience, SCE’s forestry staff is recognized for its prescribed burn expertise and often sought out to share its knowledge.

“I’m impressed at how Edison has integrated fire into its forestland,” said Susie Kocher, a forestry advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, who has worked with SCE’s forest staff.

Kocher and SCE staff joined members of the Southern Sierra Prescribed Fire Council in hosting a recent prescribed burn workshop at SCE’s Shaver Lake property.

Members of the local Chukchansi tribe, which has done cultural burns in the Sierra for thousands of years, also shared their approach to using fire to keep the forest healthy.

About three dozen private landowners like Van Bossuyt, forestry and fire professionals attended the three-day workshop.

“We talked a lot about weather conditions, fuel conditions and topography,” said Ryan Stewart, a senior SCE forestry supervisor.

The group then went out in the field where SCE foresters demonstrated a prescribed burn on about 10 acres of the utility’s forest land.

“We showed the process — how very slow a prescribed burn is,” Stewart said. “We also lit off a couple of small trees to show how they burn.”

They also showed a few “tricks of the trade” like lighting a fire in a circle around the base of a tree so it will burn away from the tree.

Van Bossuyt said having SCE, the tribe members, Cal Fire, the National Weather Service and the San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District all in one place was valuable in explaining what services and help are available. For instance, he learned Cal Fire could help oversee a prescribed burn on his land.

He said the prescribed burn demonstration the second day really brought all the classroom learning together.

“Half of the group had not lit a fire or seen things like this,” Van Bossuyt said.  “By the end of the day, we were all comfortable in how you do it.”