Crime & Safety

Prescribed Burn at Middle Peak is Part of Reforestation

Dry vegetation from the aftermath of the Cedar Fire is being burned to prepare for planting of conifers.

White smoke seen from the San Diego Country Estates on Thursday was the result of a prescribed burn by State Parks in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, east of Julian.

The burn—on Middle Peak—will continue Friday. Cal Fire is assisting.

Dry vegetation that burned in the 2003 Cedar Fire is being piled and incinerated, Michael Rodriques, a State Parks spokesman, told Patch.

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"We try to time things appropriately, after the snow but while it's not too hot and windy," he said.

No more prescribed burns are planned for the park at this time of year, he said.

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Rodriques said 95 percent of the forest in the park was lost in the Cedar Fire.

"That fire burned so hot, most of the seed stock burned out. It's unusual for State Parks to step into the natural processes but it would take so long to reforest," he said. "There's some reforestation, but so little."

Mixed conifer trees will be planted to replace the same varieties that existed there before. The particular variety changes with elevation, Rodriques said.

The reforestation is being done mostly with private donations at this time. It began in October 2007. About 200,000 trees have already been planted and the goal is to plant nearly a million.

The Cedar Fire of 2003 burned more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 2,300 structures and took the life of a firefighter.

Thursday's prescribed burn area was visible from the Country Estates as an orange glow overnight.


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