CAL FIRE Updates San Mateo County Live Fuel Moistures: Critical Levels Reached
CAL FIRE has measured live fuel moistures that are at or near record low levels for this time of year at each sampling site in Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.
August (2013) live fuel moisture for the San Mateo - Santa Cruz (CZU) CAL FIRE Ranger Unit is posted online here and summarized below.
| Location | Current (%)7/22 | Previous (%)6/18 | Change |
| Hwy 35 & 92 - coyote brush | 127 | 151 | -24 |
| Pulgas - coyote brush | 111 | 134 | -23 |
| Saratoga Summit - chamise | 64 | 82 | -18 |
| new growth | 71 | 89 | -18 |
| old growth | 56 | 74 | -18 |
| Corralitos - manzanita | 82 | 83 | -1 |
| new growth | 80 | 83 | -3 |
| old growth | 84 | 83 | +1 |
Live fuel moisture levels continue running near record lows for this time of year at each of the sampling sites. Current levels are what we normally see bottoming out each year in October; there could be some records this year. Chamise at Saratoga Summit has reached the “critical” level and Manzanita at Corralitos continues at or near “critical.” For Manzanita, the critical threshold is considered 80%; for Chamise 60%. There is no established critical threshold for coyote brush. Critical is defined as “the moisture content at which sustained, fast spreading, high intensity wildfires can occur.”