The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority plans to conduct a prescribed fire this fall at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve in west Morgan Hill. The controlled burning project is part of the OSA’s Wildland Fire Resiliency Program.
The OSA is performing the prescribed fire in collaboration with CAL FIRE, the Santa Clara County Fire Department, the San José Fire Department, Santa Clara County Parks, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Prometheus Fire Consulting, OSA officials said in a press release. It is designed to reduce the risk of extreme wildfire for surrounding communities while restoring the health of the preserve’s native grasslands.
Beginning later this month, smoke may be visible from Casa Loma Road near Rancho Cañada del Oro. Some smoke from prescribed fire is expected and is not a cause for alarm, the OSA said.
Members of the public should not call 911 to report smoke or fire activity in or near the prescribed fire areas.
The burning includes about five acres of grassland and oak woodland at Rancho Cañada del Oro Open Space Preserve over the course of one to two days, plus about 30 brush piles at a later date, OSA said.
“Prescribed fire is one of the oldest and most effective tools for maintaining California’s grasslands,” says a press release from the OSA. “The prescribed fire planned this fall marks the return of an Authority program and is designed to clear built-up duff and dead plant material, reducing the risk of catastrophic unplanned wildfires and helping protect nearby human and natural communities. It also promotes native seed production and improves the long-term resilience of the landscape and the communities around it.”
Rancho Cañada del Oro has a documented history of prescribed fire and well-established ecological benefits, with strong results from past treatments, OSA staff said.
The press release added that each prescribed fire depends on weather, fuel moisture and air quality meeting a strict set of conditions on the day of ignition. If those conditions are not met, the prescribed fire will be postponed.
Burn dates will be confirmed publicly the morning of each ignition. Signage will be posted at trailheads, parking areas and along adjacent roadways. Portions of the preserve may be closed to visitors during and immediately after operations; closures and reopening timelines will be posted at openspaceauthority.org/alerts-closures.
