Our plan to conduct a 9.5 acre controlled burn at Martin Griffin Preserve looks favorable for this Sunday, October 20, 2019. If weather conditions permit, ACR will be joined by more than 20 firefighters from partner organizations, county & local fire agencies and our volunteer wildland firefighting team to burn understory growth located midway up the Bourne Ridge.
We anticipate running a test ignition at 9:00 a.m.; if within the parameters of our permit from CAL FIRE and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the controlled burn will commence, with ignitions expected through 4:00 p.m. The team will continue to monitor the site throughout the night. Because smoke will be visible from the Bolinas and Stinson Beach areas, we are working closely with traffic, fire and public safety agencies, and local media.
We could not undertake this work without the close partnership of these groups as well as the critical support of our community. THANK YOU!
The preserve will be closed on Sunday to all but controlled burn personnel. If you live in the area, we greatly appreciate your sharing with neighbors that this is a controlled burn with fire personnel on site. As with any controlled burn, conditions may change on the scheduled day, forcing a postponement. Check back for updates.
ACR’s fire ecologist, Brian Peterson, who is leading this event, has provided a map of the Bourne Unit for reference as well as description of the ecological goals of the burn, below.
The ecosystem of the Bourne Ridge has changed rapidly in recent history, converting from a coastal prairie to a young and very dense Douglas fir forest with limited understory and tree diversity and a heavy fuel load. To reduce this fuel load and open up patches of coastal prairie among the existing oak trees, the MGP and Fire Forward teams have worked extensively in the unit to remove brush and small Douglas fir trees and to increase the size of remnant coastal prairie patches within the unit.
Following this work with controlled burns will promote greater diversity of native plants as well as a forest structure that supports lower intensity fires.
Over coming years, our land and stewardship managers intend to employ controlled burns on the Bourne Ridge to create a fire break, increase ecological resilience and meet regional fire safety goals.
Learn more about Fire Forward at egret.org/fire-forward
