Although it’s fairly rare, it can happen. Mulch piles have been known on occasion to spontaneously combust and start a fire. The decomposition can generate enough heat to ignite without an outside source. It would be a sad irony indeed if the mulch created by our work to reduce the risk of wildfire in the forest actually caused a fire. No, we can’t let that happen.
There are a couple of piles that we didn’t have a chance to get to last fall that are still sitting on the upper Forest Loop Trail. Spreading the mulch on the trails helps keep the dust down and protects the roots of the pine trees. So please join us next Saturday, June 17th from 9-11:00 to get rid of the leftover mulch while sprucing up the trails. We’ll meet at the Trenton entrance. We have some rakes, shovels and wheel barrows and tarps, but if you have any tools, please bring them along. We’ll have water and granola bars to keep you hydrated and energized. For more info or directions, call Holly at (805) 239-3928 or email hslettel@calpoly.edu.
