2023

Press Release Archive

Past Updates

November 8, 2023
The fire crew successfully burned the Twin Oaks grassland plot at Wilder Ranch today with quite the audience! The Mercury News came out to catch our amazing staff in action and a research group from San Jose State University was on site to monitor the effects of the prescribed burn on coyote bush. A Cal FIRE engine assisted too (because teamwork makes the dream work!) and there was good smoke dispersal, so the fire crew was able to remove fuels and protect our grasslands with very little impact to the surrounding community.

Tomorrow the fire crew will continue along the Baldwin drainage, a portion of the park that they have only been able to burn once before a couple of years ago.   

November 7, 2023
More prescribed burns will be happening this week at Wilder Ranch. 

The current plan is to burn 150 acres of Long Meadow-area grassland on Wednesday and Thursday. If there is good smoke dispersal, the fire crew should be finished actively burning by Thursday afternoon. Some trails, including Old Cabin Trail and Long Meadow Trail, will be temporarily closed during firing operations, but these closures shouldn’t last for more than an hour or two. Prescribed burns are a dynamic situation, and we will keep you updated if the plan changes!

The Eucalyptus Loop prescribed fire that began October 11 has minimal smoke observed from within the drainages and is still being actively monitored by firefighters. So far, 186 acres of grass and 115 acres of forest have burned at this site. 

November 1, 2023
The burn at Wilder Ranch continues to smoke far from the control lines. The fire crew are patrolling it again today.

Our Natural Resources staff were able to successfully conduct the prescribed burn yesterday at Año Nuevo State Park thanks to the help of our rangers, who kept people safe on Highway 1 as the fire crew were lighting along its edge. The fire crew then patrolled the plot overnight and worked on burning some large eucalyptus trunks. 

October 30, 2023
The weekend red flag wind event didn’t have a big impact on the Wilder Ranch prescribed burn, with wind gusts only up to 10 mph on site. The fire crew staffed the burn area full time over the weekend and reported no issues. They continued to put out smoking spots and larger pieces of wood within the drainages that were still burning. The fire patrols will continue during the day until the fire is completely out or we get heavy rain.

The prescribed burn at Año Nuevo will happen this week, possibly as early as tomorrow. Burn and smoke permits have been secured. The last component needed is additional staff for traffic control on Highway 1 due to the potential low visibility conditions from the smoke. The burn will be conducted once an appropriate number of staff are available to participate. 

October 27, 2023
Small concentrations of fuel are drying out and continuing to burn in the interior of the treated area at Wilder Ranch. With dry windy weather predicted for this weekend, our Natural Resources staff will increase fire patrols to monitor conditions and take action if needed. They will be on site throughout the day and night through Sunday. After Sunday, staff will reassess and may reduce the fire patrols if the weather becomes more favorable.

October 24, 2023
Things are looking good at Wilder Ranch as the fire crew wraps up the prescribed burn! The smoking root is now out, and the trail was repaired. A couple of small smoking areas were extinguished and most of the fire hoses were removed today. Tomorrow, the rest of the hose will be removed and fire crew day patrols checking the perimeter will be scaled down to once a day.

Please note: part of the burned plot is still smoking, primarily in the western drainage that was lit on Saturday, but the fire crew will keep an eye on it and aren’t concerned.  

Our Natural Resources staff will conduct a prescribed burn at Año Nuevo State Park next, in the coastal prairie between Whitehouse Creek and Cascade Creek on the ocean side of Highway 1. This burn is expected to take one day and will require traffic control on Highway 1. We are currently targeting either the week of October 31 or November 6 for the burn, depending on weather and air quality conditions, and will provide updates on Año Nuevo's social media (Facebook, Instagram), San Mateo Coast State Parks' social media (Facebook, Instagram), and right here, so stay tuned!

October 23, 2023
After the recent rain the forest is too wet to burn, but not damp enough to depend on the fire going out if the meadows are lit, so prescribed burning at Wilder Ranch is on hold for now. 

Next, our Natural Resources staff are looking north towards the most diverse and consistently burned grassland in the Santa Cruz District of California State Parks: The patch of coastal prairie between Whitehouse Creek and Cascade Creek, on the ocean side of Highway 1 in Año Nuevo State Park.

This patch of grass was first burned in the early 1970s as part of a strategy to control gorse (Ulex Europaeus), an invasive exotic species, that was rapidly spreading in this rare plant community. It has been burned almost every other year since, most recently in conjunction with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. While the gorse is under control, prescribed fire is used to continue to help control Harding grass (Phalaris aquatica), which was introduced to improve the forage value of this land prior to its acquisition by State Parks. 

The burn is expected to take one day and will require traffic control on Highway 1. We are currently targeting the week of November 6 for the burn and will provide updates on Año Nuevo's social media (Facebook, Instagram), San Mateo Coast State Parks' social media (Facebook, Instagram), and right here, so stay tuned! 

October 21, 2023
Another productive day at Wilder Ranch as we successfully concluded the eleventh day of our meticulously planned prescribed burn. Collaborating closely with the invaluable assistance of Cal FIRE, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and the dedicated State Parks staff, we efficiently executed the controlled burn, encompassing the final 62 acres of the designated area. Although the smoke dispersal wasn't as optimal as anticipated, this morning's timely rainfall significantly dampened the surrounding fuels, minimizing any potential risk of fire spread within the area for the foreseeable days. Vigilant patrols will persist throughout the weekend and well into the upcoming week to ensure the utmost safety and security of the site. 

October 19, 2023
The prescribed burn along the Eucalyptus Loop Trail in Wilder Ranch continued today! The fire crew was busy putting out all the smoking, smoldering vegetation that is burning near the control line, which is the area within 50 feet of the trail. Almost all of the burning material has been extinguished, except one root burning near the trail that we plan to keep working on.
 

The Santa Cruz area is predicted to get rain Saturday night, so the crew is hoping to burn the rest of the plot, the western drainage area of forest, starting Saturday morning.  

This plan depends on approval from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District. Saturday is listed as favorable burn day with high confidence, so it is likely that the crew will receive the go-ahead to burn. The crew won’t know until Saturday for sure, but they are mobilizing staff and equipment to start that morning and we will keep you posted! 

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