With summer heating up, the Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks is gearing up for its annual fire season prep. The primary goal is simple: slam the brakes on fuel loads before they can turn into fast-moving, severe wildfires that threaten our local neighborhoods and wildlife habitats.
If you live near our open spaces, you’re about to see a lot of activity. Here is a breakdown of what is happening right here in our neck of the woods, how they are doing it, and what to expect.
🐐 The Toolkit: Goats, Sheep, and Mowers
Regional Parks uses a heavy mix of methods to cut down dry brush and weeds, including mowing, string-trimming, disking, pruning, and targeted herbicide.
But two of the biggest tools this year are sheep and goats for grazing, alongside strategic firebreak mowing.
| Location | Acreage | What’s Planned | Goal Date |
| Dry Creek Parkway (Total) | ~1,160 acres | Grassland, oak, and creek-side brush management | Ongoing |
| Targeted Grazing | 99.4 acres | Sheep and goats deployed to eat down fuels | July 1 |
| Prescribed Burns | Up to 52 acres | Controlled/training burns with local fire crews | June (Pending weather) |
By thinning out these fuels ahead of time, parks staff can drastically reduce fire intensity, how fast a fire spreads, and the chances of a fire jumping into the tree canopy. It also makes it much easier for firefighters to get a handle on a blaze if one does start.
🚒 Controlled Burns Coming to Dry Creek Parkway in June
Regional Parks staff are currently coordinating with Sacramento Metro Fire to plan prescribed training burns. For the North County area, a chunk of Dry Creek Parkway has been specifically identified for these beneficial burns, alongside other regional spots like the Woodlake Area, Gene Andal, and the Illa M. Collin Preserve.
⚠️ Timing & Notifications: These burns are heavily contingent on daily air quality and fire danger levels, but they are tentatively scheduled to take place sometime in June.
If you live right next to the Parkway, keep an eye on your mailbox and phone. Regional Parks is currently preparing official notices to send to nearby residents. If you want real-time schedule updates, you can sign up for text or email alerts directly on the Sacramento County Regional Parks website.
⚡ Teamwork Beyond the Parks
It isn’t just the Parks Department handling the load. A handful of other local agencies are out working on their own overlapping properties to keep the regional fire risk low:
- Flood Control Districts: Local levee-maintaining agencies are actively mowing and treating levees with herbicide.
- Utility Companies: SMUD, PG&E, and the Western Area Power Association are out clearing out heavy fuel loads running directly along the main electric utility corridors.
We will keep you updated as Metro Fire locks in the exact dates for the Dry Creek Parkway burns next month!
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