October 21, 2025 – Sonoma County, CA – Sonoma Land Trust and CAL FIRE announced plans to conduct 2 prescribed burns at Sonoma Land Trust Preserves near Calistoga and Glen Ellen, on October 23 and 24, 2025.
The burns may begin as early as 9:00am and will be managed by the CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit in partnership with Sonoma Land Trust. This collaborative initiative is part of a wider community effort to increase fire resiliency throughout the region.
Projects include up to 4 acres at Glen Oaks Ranch Preserve in Glen Ellen on Thursday, October 23, and up to 19 acres at Laufenburg Ranch Preserve on Friday, October 24, 205.
These preserves were affected by past wildfires including the Tubbs and Nuns Fires. Sonoma Land Trust has conducted subsequent understory thinning and pile burning to reduce dead material and improve the health of the surviving trees. The introduction of low-intensity prescribed fire when conditions are right is the next step to support forest health and reduce the intensity of future wildfires.
The Glen Oaks Ranch Preserve burn will be conducted by prescribed fire managers from CAL FIRE, with support from Sonoma Land Trust staff, North Sonoma Air Pollution Control District, and Bay Area Air District
The Laufenburg Ranch Preserve burn will be conducted by prescribed fire managers from Sonoma Land Trust with support from CAL FIRE, All Hands Ecology’s Fire Forward Program, Pepperwood Preserve, and the North Sonoma Air Pollution Control District.
Safety is the top priority when burning, and fire managers will make the decision to burn once they have checked weather conditions and evaluated all safety protocols.
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**Smoke and Traffic Advisory**
The Glen Oaks Ranch Preserve prescribed burn will take place east of Glen Ellen near the intersection of Arnold Drive and Highway 12. Smoke may be visible from Glen Ellen, Kenwood, and along Highway 12. The prescribed burn will start as early as 9:00am and conclude around 5:00pm. The unit may continue to produce a lesser amount of smoke in the days following burning operations. The burn unit will be monitored by fire personnel.
The Laufenburg Ranch Preserve prescribed burn will take place on ridges near the Sonoma/Napa County line in Knights Valley. Smoke may be visible from Calistoga as well as Highway 128. The prescribed burn may start as early as 9:00am and conclude around 5:00pm. The unit may continue to produce a lesser amount of smoke in the days following burning operations. The burn unit will be monitored by fire personnel.
Follow the burns on the Watch Duty App:
– Glen Oaks Ranch Preserve: https://app.watchduty.org/i/66133
– Laufenburg Ranch Preserve: app.watchduty.org/i/66134
If you see smoke from these burns, please refrain from calling 911.
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Information is available on roadway signage, via social media channels @SonomaLandTrust and @CALFIRELNU, and on the WatchDuty App
Learn more:
The Sonoma Land Trust Living with Fire Strategy: https://sonomalandtrust.org/living-with-fire/
Sonoma Land Trust’s Preserve System: https://sonomalandtrust.org/our-preserve-system/anchor-preserves/
CAL FIRE: www.readyforwildfire.org/
ABOUT SONOMA LAND TRUST: Sonoma Land Trust works in alliance with nature to conserve and restore the integrity of the land with a focus on climate resiliency and is also committed to ensuring more equitable access to the outdoors.Since 1976, Sonoma Land Trust has protected more than 61,000 acres of scenic, natural, and open land for future generations. Sonoma Land Trust is the recipient of the 2019 Land Trust Alliance Award of Excellence and is accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. For more information, please visit www.sonomalandtrust.org
ABOUT CAL FIRE SONOMA-LAKE-NAPA UNIT
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) serves and safeguards the people and protects the property and resources of California. The CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, or LNU for short, is one of 21 CAL FIRE administrative units, and one of the largest. Spanning north of the San Francisco Bay Area from the Pacific Ocean to the Interstate-5 corridor, the counties of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo come together to form a CAL FIRE Unit. LNU has primary responsibility for 2,063,280 acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA) – the most of any CAL FIRE Unit – and a vast range of vegetation types, populations, and political climates. We staff 21 fire stations, 31 state engines, six bulldozers, operate two conservation camps, have one fuel reduction crew, a firefighter hand crew, one helitack base, one air attack base, and many other support staff positions.