Note: Due to adverse weather conditions, UCSC's controlled burn has been CANCELED. The burn has been tentatively rescheduled for Wednesday, August 23.
August 14, 2000
Controlled fire planned for Twin Gates area
Controlled burn reduces fire hazard, encourages native plant biodiversity
By Francine Tyler
UC Santa Cruz firefighters, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
| It's a busy month for UCSC firefighters: The campus plans a fire drill at Merrill College August 26. Get details. |
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| A UCSC firefighter carries out a controlled burn at Marshall Field. Photo: Francine Tyler |
Most of the controlled burn is scheduled to take place in the Twin Gates area four miles up the road from the campus's main entrance, encompassing selected parts of Marshall Field on the east and west sides of the road. Another small meadow southeast of the main area will also be burned.
The burn is scheduled to start in midmorning and last until late afternoon. It may be canceled if fires in other areas of the state require attention, or if weather conditions move outside a prescribed safety window.
The campus carries out controlled fires in the Marshall Field area for several reasons, said Maggie Fusari, director of the UCSC Campus Natural Reserve. The fires help maintain the biodiversity of native plants in the area and provide open habitat for some plants and animals that require it.
"We try to preserve high-quality habitat for those native species--like the popcorn flower or Ohlone Tiger Beetle--that require a relatively open habitat," said Fusari. "If annual grasses grow in and create a big, heavy thatch, that can be detrimental to other species."
In addition to the benefits to plant and animal life, controlled burns help the campus lessen its risk from wildland fires by eliminating fuel that would feed such a fire, said UCSC Fire Chief Chuck Hernandez. They also provide training for firefighters.
More than 20 firefighters from UCSC, the Scotts Valley Fire Department, the Central Fire Protection District for Santa Cruz County, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) are expected to participate in the controlled burn. Approximately a dozen youths from the California Youth Authority's conservation camp in Ben Lomond are also expected to take part.
All of the designated burn area is on campus property. The west side of Marshall Field is part of the UCSC Natural Reserve.
For more information, call the UCSC Fire Department at (831) 459-3473.
