For further information on the project see: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-current-projects/05-1f510

Look at these before and after photos. First one by Barbara Ray before it was completely cleared and the second one is by Adam Slawter taken today.

Nice job by Caltrans and State Parks (and a few locals as I recall).

For Immediate Release

December 20, 2023

Media Contact: Andrew Madsen
(805) 895-0841
andrew.madsen@usda.gov

http://www.facebook.com/lpnf

Twitter: @LosPadresNF

Fire restrictions lifted on Los Padres

SOLVANG, Calif.— The recent rainfall across Los Padres National Forest has provided sufficient moisture to reduce fire restrictions on the forest effective immediately.

Under the reduced fire restrictions, campfires and charcoal barbeques will be allowed in all areas of the Forest. A California Campfire Permit is required to build a campfire outside of a designated Campfire Use Site. California Campfire Permits are available for free download from the Forest website (http://www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf). A list of Campfire Use Sites is available at all Forest offices.

Visitors who construct wood or charcoal fires outside of designated Campfire Use Sites also must clear all flammable material for a minimum of five feet in all directions; have a shovel available for preparing and extinguishing the fire; have a responsible person in attendance at all times; and extinguish the fire with water, using the “drown, stir and feel” method.

The following restrictions will remain in effect:

• Spark arresters are required on all off-highway vehicles, chainsaws, and other internal combustion engines and equipment.
• A permit is required for all welding, grinding, cutting, or use of explosives.
• Tracer ammunition is prohibited at all times.
• Fireworks are always prohibited in Los Padres National Forest.
• Recreational target shooting is prohibited in all areas of Los Padres National Forest except for the Winchester Canyon Gun Club and the Ojai Valley Gun Club that operate under special use permits.
• Campfires are always prohibited on National Forest System lands in the Santa Barbara Front Country from Gaviota to the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line.

Visitors are encouraged to call the Forest Supervisor’s Office or the local Ranger Station for more information on conditions and restrictions.

For additional information, please visit the Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/lpnf/.

What can one say to this much rain in 24 hours? And the bulk of the storms still to come tomorrow? Flood Advisory just issued near Greenfield as I was typing this…and another flood advisory for Big Sur. Stay safe, everyone. Stay home if possible.

from 10 am. My gauge reads 1.32 for the last 24 hours. Note Mining Ridge measured a healthy 2.57”

Current guidance has trended wetter, specifically for the Big Sur coast and further into southern California. Despite the high uncertainty, the QPF forecast hasn`t changed drastically. The coastal mountains are now expecting about 4-7 inches of rain over the week, which is about an inch more than we expected 24 hours ago.

The above is the NOAA/NWS weather report from this morning’s discussion. Wednesday is the big day for the storms, it looks like.

Pay attention to the “just silly” statement re the 10 inches of rain in 5 days. That being said, the Santa Lucias along the Big Sur coast score big once again. From NOAA/NWS Monterey Bay:

While the NBM low end scenario seems more reasonable
with 0.5-1.0" across the region, the high end remains outrageous.
The NBM 90% percentile accumulation is suggesting widespread
totals of greater than 10 inches along the coast, with up to 24
inches in the Santa Lucia Mountains. Meanwhile the global
ensembles are showing a much tighter spread. Take SFO for example.
All 30 members of the GEFS and all 50 of the ECMWF EPS are
between 0.75 and 3.5 inches. Even in a historical context, San
Francisco has never experienced more than 10 inches of rain over
a 5 day period since record keeping began in 1849. To say that
there is a 10% chance that this system will bring more rain than
the area has seen since the gold rush era is just silly. A more
reasonable high end scenario is 3-5 inches for most coastal areas,
with 4-6 in the mountains and 2-3 in some of the rain shadow
areas. This is only about an inch above the deterministic
forecast, which lies on the high end of guidance.

Prescribed Burn Planned For Monterey County

Big Sur, CA – Conditions and weather permitting, CAL FIRE plans to conduct a broadcast burn at Andrew Molera State Park in Monterey County on December 13th, 2023. The project aims to restore the Coastal Prairie Plant Community in Andrew Molera State Park that has diminished due to competition from non-native grasses, encroachment by scrub, and lack of frequent, low intensity fires. The reintroduction of fire to the landscape also has the potential to enhance fire safety by reducing high fuel density. 

This prescribed fire project was planned as part of broader strategic efforts to protect the local community and nearby natural resources. These plans are informed by community and local stakeholder input and serveas a collaborativeeffort with various cooperators throughout the project. This project adds to significant work underway throughout the state. It brings California closer to meeting or exceeding state fuel reduction goals directed by the California Fire Plan and the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. 

Each operation follows a specialized burn plan, whichconsiders temperature,humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. All this information is used to decide when and where to burn. 

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after ignition, depending on the project size, conditions, and weather. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter durationthan smoke produced by wildland fires. 

Smoke from this control burn will be visible from the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding cities. Weather conditions will be monitored, and burn may be postponed if burning conditions are found to be unfavorable. CAL FIRE is in close consultation with the National Weather Service’s Monterey Office and Monterey Bay Air Resources District to ensure that the burn takes place inappropriate weather conditions; the project may be postponed if conditions are not conducive to a safe burn. 

To track the progress being made, both in your community and throughout California, please visit the CAL FIRE fuels reductiondashboard at https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we- do/natural-resource-management/fuels-reduction and help share important preventing and preparedness information with your neighbors at readyforwildfire.org 

To be added to the Prescribed Fire Notification list, 

Send a request to BEU.ResourceManagement@fire.ca.gov or scan the QR code. 

For additional information on preparing for and preventing wildfires, visitwww.ReadyForWildfire.org.