Prescribed burn planned in Irish Hills open space
–A prescribed burn of dozens of brush piles in and near the Irish Hills Open Space off Prefumo Canyon Road is planned for Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fire crews will attempt to complete the burning operation in one day due to the forecasted weather window and to help minimize smoke impacts. If conditions are not suitable for optimal smoke dispersal, the burn will be rescheduled.
The prescribed burn will help reduce the threat and severity of wildfire in the City of San Luis Obispo and will also aid in restoring natural ecosystem processes.
The city’s fire department, in cooperation with Cal Fire/San Luis Obispo County Fire, the San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council, and the Air Pollution Control District San Luis Obispo County (APCD), are overseeing the operation.
“The Irish Hills Open Space presents a significant wildfire threat to the City of San Luis Obispo due to its proximity to homes and businesses and the lack of any significant recorded fire history,” said San Luis Obispo Fire Chief Keith Aggson. “The fuel, or vegetation, density in this area had long remained unchecked until the recent grant-funded fuel break work that was completed under the direction of the SLO County Fire Safe Council utilizing grant funding provided by the State.”
The timing of the burn takes into account several factors: recent measurable rain to ensure the fuel surrounding moisture levels are elevated, wind forecasts, and the availability of fire department resources. These considerations are needed to help ensure the burn can be completed safely and quickly to limit the potential impacts of smoke in the community.
“We appreciate residents’ understanding of this operation and will do everything we can to reduce the potential impact to the community,” said Aggson. “These efforts ultimately help protect San Luis Obispo’s much-loved open space areas and will significantly decrease the wildfire threat to our city.”
Burning the piles on-site, rather than transporting them to a more isolated location, is needed due to the type of vegetation in the piles, French Broom, which is an invasive non-native plant species that greatly increases fire danger due to how the plant grows. The inner stems of French Broom die as the plant grows, creating a highly flammable fuel that can carry fire into larger plants and trees, greatly increasing the spread and intensity of a wildfire. Additionally, the seeds of the plant spread easily, making transportation a threat to neighboring ecosystems due to the potential of the French Broom getting established in those areas.
In addition to these proactive vegetation management efforts, the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department remains committed to helping reduce the threat and severity of wildfire in the city. Recently, the fire department completed the city’s first Community Wildfire Protection Plan and provided many preparedness resources to the community including a Ready Set Go plan.
For more information, please visit slocity.org/wildfire.
For more information on current air quality and ways to reduce your exposure to smoke, please visit The APCD website www.slocleanair.org.
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