The upcoming prescribed burn is led by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. The purpose of the prescribed burn is to facilitate coastal grassland habitat restoration at a 40-acre site at the Preserve. The goal is to remove non-native plants and thatch to clear the area for native plant restoration in the fall. The Nature Conservancy has coordinated the burn with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, who will be present at the burn.

The burn is planned for one day between May 27-30. If conditions do not allow for burning during this window, the back-up week will be June 9-14. If the burn does not occur during these two windows, the burn will be postponed until Fall 2025. The 40-acre site consists primarily of non-native annual grasses and noxious weeds like black mustard.

WHAT: Prescribed pile burning of approximately 40 treated acres of slash from felled dead trees and brush.
WHEN: May 14-21. Most burning operations will begin in the morning and conclude in the afternoon. However, some burning operations may continue through the evening to allow for full consumption of flammable material.
WHERE: Burning will occur at various forest administrative sites (updated on Los Padres Twitter/X and Facebook accounts). The sites for this period are the Painted Cave and Trout Club areas.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department plans to conduct prescribed pile burns along Paradise Road this week, as conditions allow. Prescribed fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. Prescribed burns can help prevent the spread of wildfires and can reduce impacts to watersheds that can result in soil loss and sedimentation.

Approximately two acres (approximately 10 piles) of plant material will be burned. Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) staff review the Smoke Management Plan and provide conditions to minimize smoke impacts in Santa Barbara County. The burns will occur when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.