Santa Barbara County to hold prescribed burn

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the county ACPD are informing the public about a scheduled burn either later this month or early June.

Below is a press release from both organizations on the announcement:

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.

Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) staff review the Smoke Management Plans
and provide conditions to minimize smoke impacts in Santa Barbara County. The burn will occur when
the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers. Once
the burn day has been selected, a media advisory will be issued.

The prescribed burn is conducted independent of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The burn
is planned and implemented by a TNC-qualified burn boss in coordination with the Santa Barbara County
Fire Department and Santa Barbara County APCD to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding
communities. The burn is dependent on weather and air quality conditions that are favorable to smoke
dispersion. If the conditions are not as desired, the burn will be rescheduled or cancelled.

Due to changing winds and weather conditions, it is difficult to predict which areas of the county, if any,
may be most affected by smoke from the burn. If you smell smoke, take precautions and use common
sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting outdoor activities. When you can smell smoke or
when it is visible in your area, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible.
These precautions are especially important to children, older adults, and those with heart and lung
conditions. Use caution when driving near prescribed burns due to reduced visibility

For more information regarding the County’s air quality, visit www.OurAir.org.

To view a statewide prescribed burn map and other features, visit the Prescribed Fire Information
Reporting System (PFIRS) website: https://ssl.arb.ca.gov/pfirs/firm/firm.php