Starting February 20, 2024, and continuing periodically through April, Sonoma Ecology Center in collaboration with the City of Sonoma will be conducting controlled pile burns at the Montini Open Space Preserve in Sonoma. While the park will remain open, some trails may be impacted, so please observe closure signs.
Proposed Dates:
- February 21, 22
- March 12, 13, 19, 20
- April 10
If you observe smoke during this period, be aware that it is part of ongoing efforts to reduce wildfire risk and promote ecological resilience through these controlled burns.
For more information on the purpose and safety measures, visit the Sonoma Ecology Center website. Subscribe to the Sonoma Ecology Center Newsletter or follow them on Instagram or Facebook for updates.
Background:
Through a grant funded by the State Coastal Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program, Sonoma Ecology Center has been performing fuels management work at Montini Preserve over the past several months. This has included cutting dead, downed, or dense vegetation along trails to effectively create a “shaded fuel break”, which can help slow the speed and intensity of a fire if it moves through a landscape. Volunteers have assisted the SEC restoration crew in cutting vegetation and building conservation burn piles designed to burn with minimal smoke particulates released into the air. Through the winter months, SEC plans to remove those fuels in an ecologically informed way by burning the piles and using small, portable kilns to produce biochar.
Work will primarily occur along the Spotted Fawn Trail at Montini Preserve, and signage will indicate when a burn day is occurring.