California State Parks is burning piles in various mountain state parks in Santa Cruz County and plans to continue the work through next spring.
An estimated 400 burn piles will be burned throughout Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Castle Rock State Park and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, including the Fall Creek Unit.
“Pile burning is a part of fuel reduction projects in these parks and helps to alleviate extreme fire behavior in the event of a wildfire,” according to California State Parks in a news release. “These projects improve emergency access, foster forest health and enhance biodiversity.”
Pile burning in both Big Basin and Henry Cowell is part of a continuing state park effort to reduce fuel loads around old growth redwood habitats, fostering forest health. Pile burning in Fall Creek Unit at Henry Cowell is part of a larger fuel reduction project at the park unit to alleviate the potential for extreme fire behavior.
At Castle Rock, pile burning is part of a forest health initiative to thin understory trees that are outpacing the growth of the black oak woodland, which is a unique fire-adapted plant community in the area.
Ignitions are scheduled to occur between 8am and 5pm for all burns, and will be monitored until piles are cold and extinguished. State Parks officials said burning will continue as conditions allow until the pile burning season ends.
“This work will be dependent on dry weather and conditions that will facilitate smoke dispersal,” the agency added. “Burning will continue as it is safe, through April 2026.”
Smoke may be visible in the vicinity of the parks in Santa Cruz County during the pile burning. Monitoring and patrol will occur throughout this period and extend into the evening and weekend as required.
“All burning is dependent on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable for smoke dispersal and to meet ecological goals. If conditions are not conducive for burning, burns will be rescheduled,” stated California State Parks. “These burns are respectively permitted, planned and coordinated with the Monterey Bay Air Quality Management District and in order to minimize smoke impacts to surrounding communities.”
To better inform the public on prescribed burns and other fire operations taking place in State Parks’ Santa Cruz District, which includes all state parks in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, follow the Santa Cruz Prescribed Fires webpage parks.ca.gov/santacruzprescribedburns.
For more information, call the Santa Cruz District prescribed burns hotline at 831-216-6459 or email Sa***********************@******ca.gov.
