FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ryan McCauley
650-772-3644, rmccauley@openspace.org
Midpen to conduct planned pile burns in Sierra Azul Preserve to enhance wildland fire resiliency
Los Altos, CA — As part of its ongoing commitment to ecological health and wildland fire resilience, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (Midpen) is scheduled to conduct pile burns in a closed area of the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve near Los Gatos starting in February through mid-March.
These burns are a critical component of Midpen’s Wildland Fire Resiliency Program, which reduces wildland fire severity in the region in part by managing vegetation in the preserves with a focus on ecological health and resilience.
A Strategic Approach to Forest Health
Pile burning is one of several vegetation management tools Midpen employs to reduce "fuel loads," the accumulation of vegetation, to more natural levels. By burning approximately 50 piles, Midpen can remove combustible vegetation safely without needing to haul material off-site.
“These pile burns are a vital step in building more resilient open space lands,” said Ana Ruiz, Midpen General Manager. “By carefully returning fire to the landscape, we are doing our part to increase the land’s resilience to wildfires and mimic the natural processes that the local ecosystem relies on to thrive.”
Fire is a natural part of California’s landscape and has been a land management tool indigenous peoples in this region used to manage landscapes, promote certain plants and reduce the likelihood of large catastrophic fires.
Ecological Benefits and Safety Measures
- Nutrient Recycling: Post-burn ash and char return essential nutrients to the soil.
- Germination: California’s landscape evolved with periodic wildfires. Some native plant species are considered fire-followers, and require the heat or smoke of fire to germinate their seeds including red maids, soaproot, mariposa lily, island manzanita and chamise.
- Wildlife Protection: To ensure no local wildlife is harmed, trained biological monitors inspect every pile for presence of wildlife prior to ignition.
- Pile Placement: The vegetation piles are built in an open grassland area away from the tree line, so the fire doesn’t reach the tree canopy.
- Safety: Burns only occur when wind, temperature, humidity and air quality meet the strict requirements of the local air quality monitoring agencies. Staff continuously monitor conditions to ensure the burns can continue in a safe manner throughout burn days.
Operational Details
Trained and experienced crews will ignite a limited number of piles each morning, monitoring them throughout the day to ensure they are fully extinguished by evening. Because these burns are located in a closed area of the Sierra Azul Preserve, there will be no impact on open public trails; however, smoke may be observed during operational windows. Pile burning may occur Mondays through Thursdays from February 3 through mid-March 2026 or until all the piles have been burned.
Part of a Larger Program
These pile burns serve as a precursor to a larger-scale prescribed burn in partnership with CAL FIRE planned for this fall in the same area. Piles were burned in this same area in partnership with Santa Clara County Fire at the end of 2025.
“Strategic collaborations with CAL FIRE and Santa Clara County Fire Department are essential to building up the long-term health of our local ecosystems,” said Chelsea Young, Midpen’s Field Resource Specialist. “By aligning our resources and expertise as partners, we ensure a safer, more resilient outcome for our local communities.”
This project represents just one facet of Midpen’s comprehensive wildland fire resilience strategy, which also includes efforts such as:
- The Los Gatos Creek Watershed Collaborative for regional vegetation management.
- The Page Mill Road Emergency Escape Route project near Palo Alto.
- Maintaining hundreds of miles of fuel breaks and fire roads throughout our preserves, some of which are used as emergency routes for neighbors and fire agencies.
For more information about Midpen’s Wildland Fire Resiliency Program and updates on scheduled burns, please visit openspace.org/fire.