Miller Property County Park Shaded Fuel Break Project
The Miller Property County Park Shaded Fuel Break Project is a collaborative effort between Santa Cruz County Parks and CAL FIRE to reduce wildfire risk, strengthen community resilience, and improve forest health along Kings Creek Road in Boulder Creek. A shaded fuel break is a strategically treated strip of forest designed to slow the spread and intensity of wildfire — not by clearcutting, but by carefully modifying the forest structure. In a shaded fuel break, crews selectively thin out smaller-diameter trees, remove dense brush and “ladder fuels” that can carry fire from the forest floor into the canopy, and prune the lower limbs of larger, healthy trees. By retaining the mature overstory canopy, shaded fuel breaks maintain soil moisture, reduce wind speeds at ground level, and support wildlife habitat while making the forest far less conducive to fast-moving, high-intensity fire.
Implementation involves a combination of hand crews and saw teams working systematically through the forest. Crews identify and remove competing or overcrowded trees, cut back vegetation encroaching on the roadway, and eliminate dead or dying trees that pose hazards. Slash and woody debris are either chipped, lopped and scattered, or stacked for later disposal depending on site conditions. The result is a more open, park-like forest structure that is easier to defend during a wildfire and safer for residents evacuating and firefighters accessing the area.
At Miller Property County Park, treatments will focus on thinning dense understory vegetation, removing hazardous or fire‐killed trees, and re-establishing a more resilient stand structure suited to the region’s fire-adapted ecosystems.
The shaded fuel break will encompass approximately 52 acres along Kings Creek Road, with vegetation treatments extending up to 300 feet on either side of the roadway. To protect sensitive habitat, a 50-foot buffer will be maintained from Kings Creek to safeguard the riparian corridor. Work will be conducted by CAL FIRE engine crews during periods when they are not assigned to active incidents, and activities will be phased over multiple field seasons under the supervision of County Parks staff. The first field days are tentatively scheduled for December 10 and 17.
Photos courtesy of Santa Cruz County Parks
Miller Property County Park
16798 Kings Creek Rd, Boulder Creek
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