Скачать или смотреть Mt. Bielawski: Oak Woodland Restoration & Communications Site Fuel Reduction Project 🌲

Firefighters are restoring oak woodland and clearing defensible space at the Mt. Bielawski Communications site on land owned by CAL FIRE and California State Parks.

This site has an interesting and significant history. Built in 1922, the original lookout tower was the first state-funded lookout tower in California. It was staffed in the summer until the 1990's. Now it hosts the Alert California camera. 📹🌄

Local, state and federal facilities use the adjacent communications tower.

This CAL FIRE project is intended to restore native oak woodland, where fire suppression for more than 100 years has allowed Douglas fir trees to outcompete and suppress the historically dominant oaks. Work will also reduce the number of Douglas firs obstructing the view of the Alert California camera at the site, which CAL FIRE frequently uses to identify smoke in the area. Firefighters are also creating strong defensible space around the CAL FIRE communications tower and adjacent structures.

Additionally, a California Conservation Corps Monterey Bay Forestry crew based in Salinas is carefully removing and chipping Douglas fir while protecting nearby native oaks.

CAL FIRE firefighters are also removing Douglas fir using a track chipper purchased for the Santa Cruz County Fire Department with CAL FIRE Fuel Reduction funds.

This 6-acre project is expected to wrap up by April.