Flames and smoke rise near workers as they ignite a controlled burn in Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz County.

A controlled burn at Wilder Ranch State Park is planned Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, depending on weather. A crew works at Wilder in 2023. (State Parks)

SANTA CRUZ >> Cal Fire started a 250-acre controlled burn on private land near San Gregorio and Pomponio state beaches in San Mateo County late Wednesday morning, and more prescribed fires are expected this month at Butano and Wilder Ranch state parks.

Smoke from the San Mateo County fires could drift into Santa Cruz County. 

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Prescribed fires are planned, controlled burns of natural areas with dry grass or brush. These low-intensity blazes clear land and remove potential fuel for larger wildfires. They can encourage native plants to grow.

“Most of the area has not been burned at least in the last 50 years,” San Mateo County Burn Boss Sarah Collamer said of the areas near San Gregorio and Pomponio areas set alight Wednesday. “We are looking to reduce vegetative fuels and reduce coastal prairie habitat, Collamer wrote in a statement. “These burns are strategically located north of the town of Pescadero and would help protect the town during a north wind event.” 

The San Gregorio and Pomponio controlled burn is expected through Friday, Oct. 25. 

More prescribed fires are planned that are weather dependent. 

  • Wednesday, Oct. 23 to Friday, Nov. 8, State Parks tentatively plan to burn forest brush at Butano State Park in southern San Mateo County. 
  • Monday, Oct. 28 to Tuesday, Nov. 5, State Parks tentatively plans for a prescribed fire at Wilder Ranch State Park near Santa Cruz.

This month, The County of Santa Cruz added notices of prescribed burns to its CruzAware text message system. 

How to find info on prescribed fires in Santa Cruz County

Prescribed fire making a comeback

Many public agencies and private groups, including in the Santa Cruz Mountains, are doing more prescribed burns and Indigenous cultural burns in hopes of returning healthy fire to the landscape.

Many forests and other California ecosystems evolved to experience periodic wildfires. In many places, indigenous people managed forests and grasslands with small-scale fires for thousands of years. 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Spanish and U.S. governments in California outlawed intentional burning, including Indigenous cultural burns.

Fire suppression — typically without prescribed fire or widespread land management — continued for about 200 years until research demonstrated that in many ecosystems, suppressing small fires can leave fuel for larger, catastrophic fires.

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Reporter / California Local News Fellow | + posts

Jesse Kathan is a staff reporter for Santa Cruz Local through the California Local News Fellowship. They hold a master's degree in science communications from UC Santa Cruz.