APTOS >> California State Parks announced last week that it will kick off fuel reduction efforts at The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park early this month.

According to a release from the state agency, officials will conduct intermittent pile burns from early December through late January inside the park, with regular monitoring and patrols scheduled throughout this period and in the evenings when required. The burns will all depend on weather patterns and air quality conditions that are favorable for adequate smoke dispersal, though residents around Soquel, Corralitos and the Monterey Bay area should prepare for some haze during burning days.

Still, if conditions are not ideal, the torches will be extinguished.

The preparation effort included about 60 acres of forest inside the park that were readied for treatment and will be included in the pile burn plan. According to the release, portions of Aptos Creek Fire Road may be temporarily closed to pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the interest of public safety. The pile burning is part of a larger fuel reduction effort meant to prevent extreme fire behavior during a potential wildfire in the upper area of Aptos Creek and Buzzard Lagoon regions, according to State Parks.

Although prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires, state officials recommend that those living near burn areas avoid strenuous outdoor activity and stay indoors as much as possible during the burns. It is especially important that children, older adults and people with respiratory and heart conditions heed this recommendation, the release noted.

Soquel Demonstration

In a similar effort to prevent catastrophic wildfires, Cal Fire’s San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit also announced Tuesday that it was planning to begin a pile-burning operation at Soquel Demonstration State Forest beginning Dec. 3, with the project expected to last two to three weeks. Cal Fire noted in a release that smoke may be visible to those living in the hills that are north of the forest, but that there is no cause for concern and the smoke does not need to be reported.

The burn piles are part of a multi-year forest health treatment plan happening at the Mid County forest that is meant to reduce fuel loads and improve forest health with efforts that also include vegetation thinning and removal of dead or downed trees. According to Cal Fire, its crews have treated more than 150 acres with pile burning in the past two years.