Fostering Ecosystem Health & Community Safety
It's difficult to ignore the fact that wildfire seasons are now longer and more intense. In part, this is due to climate change impacts and longterm fire suppression practices. Forest health and community safety are the cornerstone of San Mateo County Parks' fire fuel reduction and fire preparedness programs that will be carried out over the next several years.
Fuel Breaks
San Mateo County Parks' strategy focuses on creation of defensible spaces, known as fuel breaks, around Department infrastructure and neighboring residences. Objectives are to thin over-dense vegetation, remove dead and diseased trees, and improve visibility and accessibility to fire trails that can support fire suppression apparatus and may become evacuation routes for the public during an emergency. Trees in designated areas that are under 10-inches in diameter or that are dead or dying will be removed, as well as ground vegetation within 100 feet of fire trails and roads. This method has the benefit of preserving mature trees. See before-and-after photos of a previous fuel break work below.
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Before
After
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Before
After
Ecological Benefits
In addition to increasing safety for neighboring communities, fuel reduction work has long-term benefits for forest ecosystems. Learn more ยป
Program Status
Planned
- 200 workdays dedicated to
- Construct new fuel breaks at Quarry and Edgewood Parks.
- Create shaded fuel breaks at Huddart and Wunderlich Parks.
- 50 to 60 workdays dedicated to fire preparedness.
- 3 new fire trails built in Quarry, San Pedro Valley, and Pescadero Creek Parks.
- Deploy Measure K funded masticator that clears vegetation.
Completed
- 190 acres of vegetation and 940 hazardous trees removed at Quarry, Wunderlich, Huddart and San Pedro Valley Parks.
- 9 miles of fire trails improved at Pillar Point Bluff, Mirada Surf, Huddart and Wunderlich Parks.
- $190,000 of Measure K Funds to remove hazardous trees and fire fuels.
Learn more about the fuel reduction projects implemented in 2019, in joint collaboration with CalFire, in this video produced by CalFire.
Current Projects
Learn More
This project is part of the Emergency Proclamation issued by Governor Gavin Newsom, which directed CAL FIRE to immediately implement projects that were systematically identified as high priority fuels reduction projects to protect over 200 of California's most wildfire-vulnerable communities. Learn more »