San Luis Obispo County state parks plan prescribed burns later this month

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – CAL Fire and other agencies will conduct several controlled burns in San Luis Obispo County later this month potentially up until next June.

Below is a press release on the announcement:

California State Parks, with assistance from CAL FIRE and other partner agencies, will carry out a series of prescribed burns in several park units in San Luis Obispo County starting late October 2024. The burns may occur in Hearst San Simeon, Harmony Headlands, Estero Bluffs, Morro Bay, and Montaña de Oro state parks and may continue through June 2025. All burning is dependent on available fire resources, weather, and air quality conditions. If weather or vegetation conditions are not conducive for burning and smoke dispersal, the planned burns will be rescheduled. 

Here’s what the public can expect and should keep in mind during the prescribed burns: 

• Some park roads, facilities, and trails near the burn area may be closed. For the most updated information on park closures, please visit the individual park unit’s webpage. 
• Although prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than a wildfire, people traveling near the fire burn areas may see smoke from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the burns. 
• In the unlikely event you smell smoke, San Luis Obispo County urges you to take precautions and use common sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting outdoor activities. These precautions are especially important for children, the elderly and people with respiratory and heart conditions. 
• The public is advised to use extreme caution while driving near prescribed fire operations due to fire personnel and equipment in the area. 

These burns are part of State Park’s prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel load reduction, wildlife habitat improvement, and other ecological benefits. This work will include grassland and coastal scrub burns, as well as broadcast and pile burns in forested and urban/wildland interfaces to address diseased, dead, and downed trees. 

These treatments will enhance the health of the ecosystems by removing diseased materials, restoring essential nutrients to the soil, and reducing the chance of a catastrophic wildfire. 

State Parks plans and coordinates the prescribed burns with the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District to minimize the smoke impacts on surrounding communities.

CAL FIRE