California State Parks is reporting today that they’re working with Cal Fire to plan prescribed burns in Salt Point State Park that could be set as early as Friday.
The burns are being coordinated with the Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control Board to minimize smoke impacts in the region. According to State Parks, the burn will take one day to implement followed by several days of patrolling the burn zone.
The fire won’t be set unless weather and air-quality conditions are favorable for smoke dispersal. State Parks says in release that public trails near the burn site will be closed, and that notifications will be posted at camp kiosks, trailheads and the agency’s district office in Duncan’s Mills. The fires will be set between the hours of 9am and 6pm, and residents are warned that they may smell smoke.
The burn is intended to clear vegetation, conserve the grasslands, reduce hazardous fuel loads from the 6,000-acre park, and improve wildlife habitat. “This treatment will enhance the health of the grassland by removing invading woody species, restoring essential nutrients to the soil, and reducing the chance of a catastrophic fire.”
Sounds like a plan.Â
