Beginning the week of September 18, 2023, San Mateo County Parks will launch a project in Memorial County Park to create a shaded fuel break along Pescadero Creek Road and Wurr Road.
This has been marked as a high-priority project within the Parks Department’s 5-Year Wildfire Fuel Management Program and will benefit forest health by promoting habitat diversity and forest resiliency against disease. It also reduces risk to nearby communities by reducing wildfire fuel, preserving primary community evacuation routes, and reducing hazards to infrastructure.
Crews will work to selectively thin over-dense vegetation within a 46-acre area. Beneath the forest canopy small-diameter trees will be removed, while in the open they'll be selectively thinned to a distance of 15 to 20 feet apart. Larger diameter trees will be pruned of limbs growing near ground, to break up "ladder" fuels that cause fast-spreading canopy fires. Standing dead trees 12 inches or fewer in diameter will be removed, and hazardous trees will also be removed from an additional 50 acres. Stands of huckleberry, hazelnut, elderberry and other native species will be left to provide important habitat for native wildlife.
Be Advised, Be Safe
During this project equipment will generate noise and dust in the park and along roads. Pescadero Creek Road and Wurr Road will require partial closure, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with potential traffic delays. Some park facilities and trails will be closed Monday through Friday.
Work is expected through late October 2023, though the project may be extended due to weather conditions or other factors. Help us expedite this important work by obeying road and trail closure signs and avoiding the project area. For specific trail closure information see Memorial Park Closures
