Prescribed Burn Planned for Andrew Molera State Park
Contact:
Aidan Sarbeck Environmental Scientist, Monterey District
(831) 233-8285
Monterey.PrescribedFire@parks.ca.gov
Operations could begin as early as Oct. 20
Prescribed burn at Andrew Molera State Park in October 2022. Photo from California State Parks.
BIG SUR – California State Parks, with assistance from CAL FIRE and BurnBot, is preparing to conduct a multiday, blackline and broadcast burn operation in Andrew Molera State Park (SP) in Big Sur starting the week of Monday, Oct. 20. If conditions aren't favorable, operations will begin on the next consecutive weekday when conditions are favorable for burning.
This burn may be conducted on short notice due to the small window of opportunity in which smoke, weather, environmental and logistical factors are aligned. State Parks will post “Prescribed Burn” signs along Highway 1, north and south of the Andrew Molera SP entrance on the day of the burn.
The East Molera Trail will be closed to the public during the operations but will reopen the following day after firefighters check for flare-ups.
WHAT: Prescribed Burn
WHO: California State Parks, with support from CAL FIRE
WHEN: 3 or 4 days, anytime between Oct. 20 and Dec. 30, 2025
WHERE: Andrew Molera State Park in Big Sur
The blackline operation will safely burn a 5-foot-wide strip of vegetation, using the BurnBot RX2 as a control line in the broadcast burn. Implementing a blackline significantly limits ground disturbance and creates safer control lines during operations. Shortly after blackline operations conclude, crews will conduct a broadcast burn. This operation aims to restore the Coastal Prairie Plant Community in Andrew Molera SP, which has diminished due to competition from non-native grasses, encroachment by scrub, and a lack of frequent, low-intensity fires. Firefighters will remain on-site until the fire is completely extinguished, which will be confirmed by thermal drone imagery.
This prescribed burn is dependent upon specific weather conditions. The specialized burn plan considers temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, vegetation moisture, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke, and this information is used to decide when to burn. Burning under specific environmental conditions allows fire to be confined to a predetermined area and produces fire behavior and fire characteristics required to attain planned fire and resource management objectives.
Cooler temperatures, higher humidity and calmer winds make fall a good time to conduct prescribed burns in this area. State Parks prescribed burn managers will collect onsite weather data for two weeks prior to a burn and will coordinate with the Monterey Bay Air Resources District and the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. They will wait for favorable conditions that will carry the smoke up and disperse it away from smoke-sensitive areas.
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