In August 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire was ignited by over 11,000 lightning strikes. It was still smoldering a year later. Cal Fire reported that 86,509 acres burned, 1,490 buildings were destroyed, and the fire took the life of one Santa Cruz County resident. Smoke and flames became a trauma trigger that Santa Cruz mountain residents have been living with ever since. Today, there is smoke but the fire is different. It’s April 10, 2024 and the Natural Resources division of the Santa Cruz District of California State Parks is conducing a prescribe burn in the Redwood Loop of Henry Cowell Redwoods. It has taken hundreds of staff and volunteer hours to get to today, aptly called Ignition Day.
As I drive along Big Trees Park Road to photograph Ignition Day, the car ahead of me stops. A herd of mule deer are crossing the road to find shade under a lone pine tree. This herd is a common sight in the meadow leading up to the park kiosk. Last year, to the delight of visitors, a doe and her fawn took frequent walks under the canopy of the park’s largest trees. While the person ahead of me snaps pictures of the deer, I look ahead to see a smokey haze forming on Bear Mountain. The prescribe burn has started and I am over an hour late. At 8:30 am sharp, park volunteers removed the visqueen barrier used to keep the burn piles dry. At 9 am, the ignition of over 80 burn piles commenced.
At the Redwood Loop trailhead, a “Prescribe Burn in Progress” sign informs park goers of what to expect during today's walk in the woods. The most visited trail in Henry Cowell Redwoods, this 0.8-mile (1.2km) loop allows visitors to experience the old-growth coastal redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) trees. The oldest tree on the loop is estimated to be over 1,000 years old. The Santa Cruz Mountains used to be filled with ancient trees but man’s commodification of nature left only a few standing.
As I enter the Redwood Loop, I veer clockwise at the advice of a fellow observer. The loop is teeming with California State Park firefighters, park staff, volunteers and perturbed corvids. Yet, it is quiet and the crackling of the fires is satisfyingly audible. The ephemeral atmosphere is beautiful. I watch a firefighter ignite the last burn pile while others tend to embers. A lead firefighter reminds colleagues to more drink water. The work is deliberate and focused. The loop is in calm and capable hands.
The biggest concern of mine, the smoke, is surprisingly tolerable. Compared to wildfires, prescribe burns create significantly less smoke. These are no ordinary burn piles. These are ignited to burn efficiently and safely. I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly. It smells like the campfires I remember as a kid. The ones that meant staying out after dark, going to bed with a dirty face, and getting to see the stars shine against an inky night sky. Finally, a positive association with fire. Something I have been craving for almost four years.
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To learn more about prescribe burns in the Santa Cruz District: https://sites.google.com/ports-ca.us/prescribedfires/faqs-resources
Interested in volunteering? https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page...