The Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks has launched its 2023 Fire Fuel Reduction Action Plan to mitigate fire risks, protect wildlife habitats, and preserve natural resources and neighborhoods near the parks. The plan includes utilizing sheep and goat grazing contracts, issuing fuel break maintenance permits to properties bordering park properties, and employing maintenance crews to maintain fire breaks.
Liz Bellas, the Director of Regional Parks, said that the fuel reduction work is crucial this year, particularly since there is an abundance of vegetation following strong winter storms, which could dry out in late spring.
The park department will implement various techniques, such as firebreaks, ladder fuel hand crews, and grazing, to prevent potential wildfires in the parks system. Firebreaks, created through a combination of mowing, soil discing, and targeted herbicides, will be used to establish perimeters around open fields, along fence lines, and behind neighborhoods, with work scheduled to finish by June’s end. Hand crews will also remove vegetation in limited, hard-to-reach areas to prevent fire from spreading. Grazing by goats and sheep will help manage vegetation on hundreds of acres of undeveloped or protected land in the regional parks. Grazing is expected to continue until the end of June.
Residents living adjacent to park properties may apply for free annual encroachment permits to maintain a fire break behind their property line, which allows residents to string-trim grass and weeds for up to 50 feet beyond their private property line. Visitors to the parks should be aware that open flame fires are not permitted, and barbequing is allowed only in designated picnic areas. Smoking is only permitted in developed picnic areas, asphalt surfaces, golf courses, and levee tops along the American River Parkway. The Ranger Division will continue its increased education and enforcement efforts against illegal fires and cooking along the parkway to reduce new fire outbreaks.
To learn more about the 2023 Fire Fuel Reduction Action Plan for Sacramento County Parks, visit the Regional Parks website. In case of a fire burning in the Regional Parks, please dial 9-1-1.
