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Don’t be alarmed if you see some smoke this week. From Monday, March 4, to Friday, March 8, a controlled burn is taking place at Stanford University’s Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve ’Ootchamin ’Ooyakma, according to an announcement from Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Nature preserve officials warn that although smoke may be visible in the area, only call 911 for emergencies. The prescribed pile burning is intended for wildfire fuel reduction, which removes overgrown vegetation for wildfire prevention in the Sand Hill Road and Westridge area, according to officials.
During the pile burn, mounds of cut and dried vegetation will be burned with a crew of 12 working under a state-certified BurnBoss, who plans and manages prescribed fire on state or private lands.
Stanford noted that the fuel reduction project has been in the works since October 2023 and the pile burning will mark the completion of the project. Additionally, the project will allow researchers to model Indigenous cultural burning practices as well as creating a lab for wildfire management research.
Smoke visible in Portola Valley during a prescribed burn in Jasper Ridge Open Space Preserve on March 4, 2024. Courtesy photo. 
Smoke visible in Portola Valley during a prescribed burn in Jasper Ridge Open Space Preserve on March 4, 2024. Courtesy photo. 
Smoke visible in Portola Valley during a prescribed burn in Jasper Ridge Open Space Preserve on March 4, 2024. Courtesy photo.
To prepare for burning, Jasper Ridge staff worked with CAL Fire and the Woodside Fire Protection District to include them in the planning process, according to Stanford.
For more information about the preserve visit jrbp.stanford.edu.
