After months of planning, site preparations and weather conditions aligning just right, Midpen returned prescribed fire to a closed area of Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve on October 25 as part of our multifaceted Wildland Fire Resiliency Program.
With CAL FIRE in the lead and Santa Clara County Fire as a partner, nine acres of grassland adjacent to a small reservoir, where burns have been conducted in the past, were treated with low-intensity fire. Reintroducing fire to the landscape in appropriate locations reduces vegetation to more natural levels and provides nutrient cycling.
At this location, the burn also prevents shrubs and forest from encroaching into grasslands, supporting this fire-adapted, native plant community and the wildlife that live in this habitat. It also helps to maintain an open area, or fuel break, within the preserve that can be used to slow or stop unplanned wildfires.