Pillar Point Bluff pine grove
—UPDATE 7/27: Work that was planned for spring 2023 but was rescheduled due to weather, is now planned for Aug 2-4.
—UPDATE: Pillar Point Bluff Fuel Reduction project, originally planned for mid-March 2023, has been postponed due to weather and highly saturated soil. Work is tentatively rescheduled for late spring 2023.—
County Parks, in partnership with CalFire, will begin a Pillar Point Bluff fuel reduction project in mid-March. The project will focus on thinning dead and dying Monterey pine trees and reduce the encroachment of pine saplings into the coastal bluff habitat. The work will occur within the pine grove adjacent to the Pillar Ridge community neighboring the park. This is project #22 of the 2021-2026 Forest Health & Community Safety Initiative.
In Quarry Park, maintenance of previously completed fuel reduction treatments is also scheduled to begin in March. These maintenance efforts will focus on invasive species control within the footprint of the previously completed 2019 Governor’s fuel reduction project, as well as some completed treatment areas from the State Coastal Conservancy grant project that was performed in 2021. It is important to conduct invasive species management early and frequently in order to achieve effective control. Over time, with sufficient control, management and maintenance efforts for invasive species will be able to be reduced.
These projects will mitigate the threat of wildfire to nearby residents by reducing fuel loads, improving access and/or evacuation routes, and improving the ability for emergency responders to contain and suppress fire. Small diameter trees and low growing vegetation in the understory will be removed to reduce the risk of ground fire spreading to taller trees. The number of mature hazardous or dead trees that contribute to canopy density will also be reduced.
More info here: Wildfire Resilience in the Midcoast