The Santa Rosa Fire Department, in cooperation with CALFIRE and Caltrans, will conduct a second burn on a 9.73-acre State-owned parcel located to the east of Old Redwood Highway just north of Mendocino Avenue on Sunday, July 7, 2024, starting in the morning when temperatures are cooler, and the conditions are favorable. This parcel was previously burned successfully in 2022 as part of a vegetation management project. The goal is to restore the ecology in the Tubbs Fire footprint by removing hazardous vegetation that has regrown through beneficial fire. Due to development in the area, this will be the Fire Departments last opportunity to safely burn this property.

Prescribed vegetation management burns are carefully planned and must meet strict criteria for ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management, and fire safety guidelines. When all conditions are met, trained wildland firefighters conduct the burn while monitoring the set criteria, fire behavior, and designated fire control lines. When the burn is completed, crews will monitor and patrol the project over several days. The prescribed burn will comply with the requirements of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. If at any time, firefighters feel the conditions are unsafe to continue, the activities will be suspended.

Benefits of low-intensity prescribed burning include:

• Cleansing wildland debris. Excessive dead and down branches, brush, and other fuels are burned, converting fuels that are hazardous in the summer into rich soil nutrients.
• Ecological Restoration. Putting low-intensity fire back on the land helps protect and improve habitat for wildlife and optimizes soil and water productivity, and can help control or eliminate noxious, invasive plants.
• Ecosystem Health. Low-intensity fire helps eliminate and control diseased plants and trees.
• New Growth. Controlled burning encourages the healthy growth of new plants, especially those that are dependent on fire for renewal or seed dispersion.
• Reduced opportunity for destructive fires. Controlled burns can decrease the size frequency of large, uncontrolled destructive wildfires.