More than four years after the CZU Lightning Complex fires devastated Swanton Pacific Ranch, workers will begin removing thousands of dead or dying trees from the property in Northern Santa Cruz County thanks to new federal funding.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo owns the 3,200-acre Swanton Pacific Ranch near Davenport, which it has used for hands-on lessons on sustainable agriculture and land management.
A $3.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, announced Nov. 20, will allow the university to begin to clear an estimated 2,688 dead or dying trees from the property.
“Our community continues to recover from the devastating CZU Lightning Complex fires which destroyed lives, livelihood, and thousands of acres of California wilderness,” said U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who helped secure the funding. “This federal funding will support Cal Poly’s stewardship of the Swanton Pacific Ranch, its land, and its critical role as a local hub for research and education.”
The property was donated to the university in 1993 by Cal Poly alumnus Al Smith, founder of Orchard Supply Hardware.