Drivers and residents can expect to see smoke and experience some traffic slowdowns along Highway 101 next week as two planned cultural burns take place in local open space areas in San Luis Obispo County.
The first burn is scheduled for December 11, at Miossi Open Space near the base of the Cuesta Grade.
A second burn will follow on December 12 at Johnson Ranch Open Space, near the Highway 101 exit for Higuera Street.
The operations are being led by the a Northern Chumash Tribe, with support from CAL FIRE/SLO County Fire, the City of San Luis Obispo Fire Department, and the SLO County Air Pollution Control District (APCD).
Officials say the burns continue a successful vegetation-management effort at Johnson Ranch and align with the region’s Sustainable SLO environmental goals.
Residents should be prepared for see smoke in surrounding communities.
The APCD will provide updated air-quality information, and sensitive groups including children, older adults, and people with respiratory conditions are advised to take precautions if they smell smoke.
The burns will only proceed if weather and air-quality conditions allow; poor conditions could lead to rescheduling.
Officials with the City of San Luis Obispo say cultural burns are used by Indigenous tribes for thousands of years and are carefully controlled fires that help revitalize native plants, reduce wildfire risk, and support healthy ecosystems.
