CAL FIRE to Burn Brush Piles Near Felton This Week
Residents in the Mount Hermon and Whispering Pines neighborhoods may notice smoke in the area Monday and Tuesday as CAL FIRE crews conduct planned pile burns along Graham Hill Road.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s CZU unit announced Friday that firefighters will burn pre-arranged piles of vegetation on March 30 and 31, weather permitting, as part of the ongoing Graham Hill Extension Fuel Reduction Project. Burning is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, contingent on approval from the Monterey Bay Air Resources District, which must certify conditions as safe for burning before operations can begin each day.
Progress Along the Graham Hill Corridor
The work is an extension of shaded fuel breaks that have already been established on both private and state property across Graham Hill Road. CAL FIRE says crews have made significant progress pushing west toward Felton, clearing tanoak limbs and other flammable understory material. Unlike a full clearing, a shaded fuel break leaves larger, healthy trees standing while removing the dense ground-level growth that allows fires to spread rapidly and climb into the canopy.
The project sits within the Santa Cruz Sandhills, a rare and ecologically significant habitat defined by sandy soils that don’t retain moisture — conditions that support the native Ponderosa Pine, a tree found almost nowhere else in Santa Cruz County. That unique ecosystem has been threatened by dense understory growth crowding out the pines, and the fuel reduction work is intended to benefit both fire safety and biodiversity.
What to Expect
Trails within the project area will be closed for the full two days of burning. The entrance road will remain accessible for Ponderosa Lodge employees. Nearby residents should expect to see or smell smoke during burn hours and can check air quality conditions through the Monterey Bay Air Resources District if they have health concerns.
As with all prescribed burns, operations are subject to cancellation if weather or air quality conditions are not favorable.
What You Can Do
Residents who want to learn more about the Graham Hill Extension Fuel Reduction Project — including a map of the project area — can contact CAL FIRE CZU’s Information Officer at (650) 477-0379. CAL FIRE has also released a short video, Biodiversity in the Santa Cruz Sandhills, for those interested in the ecological significance of the work being done.
Photo and video courtesy of CAL FIRE
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