On July 22, 2016, the Soberanes Fire put up its first smoke plume. By day two it was clear that the Santa Lucia Preserve would be an essential stronghold to keep the fire from spreading into the community of Carmel Valley.

Fire crews and equipment poured onto The Preserve, installing fire breaks, engaging in direct attack and firing operations to manage the incoming wildfire. The thoughtful Wildland-urban interface of the Preserve design, with fuel management standards and a robust community water system, resulted in the successful suppression of the fire along our western flank. Ultimately, 38 miles of fire lines were installed, approximately 1,700 acres of Preserve Wildlands burned, and no Preserve structures were lost.

As soon as the fire was contained on the Preserve, the Conservancy began the long process of repairing and restoring areas damaged by fire and fire suppression activities.

Post Fire Recovery

Fortunately, the fire that burned on Preserve land consisted in large part of cooler creeping fires moving down-slope, or suppression-related firing operations with lower heat signatures. The fire was patchy, with a mosaic of intense-to-less-intense burn areas, as well as unburned areas. During recovery, this variety supports increased biodiversity in wildlife species and provides soil stability and seed banks for plants to recolonize the impacted areas. The majority of the repair and restoration efforts were focused on fire lines and safety zones installed as a part of the fire suppression activities. The Conservancy worked closely with CalFire during the Fire Suppression Repair phase and has continued evaluating, monitoring and stabilizing fire lines to prevent erosion, debris flows, and invasive weed establishment.

To prioritize our efforts in monitoring and repairing 38 miles of fire lines, the Conservancy created a map to rank areas of highest concern (steep slopes, sensitive species present, riparian corridors, cultural resources). This prioritization has allowed us to focus our efforts and minimize the long-term impacts of fire related damages.