By Natalia Rodriguez
Since mid-July the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County and California State Parks have been collaborating on a 211-acre prescribed burn in Aptos and Soquel forests and nature reserves.
The impacted area includes the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, the Soquel Demonstration State Forest, and land owned by Redwood Empire.
The project has received $380,000 in grants so far, and the crew is still in the preparation stage.
The Resource Conservation District facilitates the “prescribed fire preparation,” which takes months of planning so the area is ready before burning can begin, the District’s Project Manager Laurel Bard explained.
Later, State Parks will organize the pile and broadcast burning.
Prescribed burns are now viewed as beneficial in preventing unmanageable wildfires by clearing undergrowth and building a resistant landscape.
Native Americans in the States have known about this for ages, however, non-Natives moving in outlawed this practice. In 1850, the same year it became a state, California outlawed the practice for Indigenous residents.
According to State Parks personnel, most of the upper Aptos Creek watershed has not experienced fire in over 100 years.
One notable fire consumed the Aptos Beach Inn, hosting a dinner on March 17, 1963.
Recently the use of prescribed burns is expected to increase as a 2023 analysis by scientists at Stanford and Columbia can back their benefit. They are safe, if well planned, and can protect locals and wildlife from uncontrollable fires.
What Should Residents Do?
The prescribed burn will result in temporary trail closures that will affect hikers and mountain bikers along Aptos Creek Fire Road from the Buzzard Lagoon Gate to the Sand Point overlook, as well as nearby trails in Nisene Marks State Park.
These closures will take place on weekdays until December 2024. Those in the area should expect delays and equipment noise.