California State Parks, with assistance from CAL FIRE and other partner agencies, will begin a series of prescribed burns in several San Luis Obispo County park units starting in late October 2026.
The burns may take place at Morro Bay State Park and Montaña de Oro State Park and could continue through June 2027. Officials said all burning operations will depend on available fire resources, weather and air quality conditions. If conditions are not suitable for burning or smoke dispersal, the burns will be rescheduled.
Some roads, facilities and trails near burn areas may be temporarily closed during operations. Visitors are encouraged to check individual park webpages for the latest closure information.
People traveling near burn sites may see smoke between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on burn days. Officials said prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires.
In the unlikely event that smoke affects nearby communities, San Luis Obispo County urges residents to limit outdoor activities and take precautions to reduce possible health impacts. Those precautions are especially important for children, older adults and people with respiratory or heart conditions.
Drivers are also advised to use extreme caution near prescribed fire operations because of fire personnel and equipment working in the area.
The burns are part of State Parks' prescribed fire program, which aims to manage vegetation, reduce hazardous fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat and provide other ecological benefits.
The work will include grassland and coastal scrub burns, as well as broadcast and pile burns in forested areas and urban-wildland interfaces. The treatments will target diseased, dead and downed trees.
According to State Parks, the projects will help improve ecosystem health by removing diseased material, restoring nutrients to the soil and reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
State Parks is coordinating the burns with the San Luis Obispo County Air Pollution Control District to help minimize smoke impacts on surrounding communities.
