Strawberry Canyon Preserve

The wildfire risk management and forest health project started on July 14 and concluded on August 22, 2025. It takes many agencies to execute a project of this scope. Greenspace would like to thank the Upper Salinas Las Tablas RCD for their management of the overall project. Along with ARC Forestry, SWCA Environmental Consultants and Firestorm Wildfire Suppression, who are the actual boots on the ground in the canyon. This ecosystem is habitat to a wide range of natural communities and sensitive species and requires careful and strategic practices to promote a healthy, resilient and fire wise forest.

Some of the management strategies in Strawberry Canyon for this project include: 

1) Monitoring, evaluating and surveying to identify nest areas, dens and establishing appropriate buffer space to minimize disturbance to wildlife and sensitive species habitat. 2) Flagging all specimens for their designated management practices. 

3) Removing dead and diseased trees while retaining a strategic number of snags (dead standing trees) and dead logs per acre (provide critical habitat for wildlife). 

4) Removing invasive plants. 

5) Retention of native shrubs in a mosaic-like pattern (toyon, coffeeberry, coyote brush). 

6) Chipped piles (not exceeding certain depth) along with lop and scatter. 

7) Careful attention to appropriate watershed protection. 

Buildup of vegetation, dead materials, and overstocked forests leads to increased competition for resources which makes the forest weaker, prone to disease and more vulnerable to wildfires. The work being done in Strawberry Canyon is vital for promoting a healthy forest which supports native habitat, biodiversity and resilience with the goal of lessening the intensity of a wildfire.

Following the large-scale forest health and fuel reduction project in Strawberry Canyon, that finished up in August of 2025, a new project is underway for understory rehabilitation currently taking place in fall/winter of 2026.

The project is funded by the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) in partnership with the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) and secured through the efforts of the Upper Salinas- Las Tablas Resource Conservation District (US-LTRCD). The project is led by Hailey Leurck, US-LTRCD Project Manager. 

Three areas along the Strawberry Canyon trail have been selected for planting, which will also serve as gathering points for Greenspace’s outdoor education program with local schools and the community. The project aim is to create a diverse and representative selection of native plant species that foster habitat restoration, local wildlife, pollinators, biodiversity and enhance community environmental education. 

The US-LTRCD has developed a planting list with grasses & sedges, herbs, woody shrubs, and trees that are suitable for the site, with a total of 20–25 native species. The final plant list will be determined by nursery availability as well from the newly developed native plant nursery at Willow Creek Conservancy, managed by US-LTRCD. Site preparation has begun with the delivery of wood chips which will help retain soil moisture, increase soil health, and support plant establishment. They are slated to install the plants after the first rain. 

Greenspace is dedicated to ensuring the preservation and restoration of the Strawberry Canyon native Monterey pine forest stand, which is one of five left in the world. These multi-agency collaborative initiatives to drive ecological restoration have significant positive impact on the health of our forests and local ecosystems. We are grateful for the shared efforts and grants available to fund these necessary, but costly projects. 

RCD Proposed Plant List

Common Name/ Scientific Name

Grasses/sedges

Creeping Wild Rye/ Elymus triticoides

Giant Wild Rye/ Elymus condensatus

Blue Wild Rye/ Elymus glaucus

Clustered Field Sedge/ Carex praegacilis

Tall Flat Sedge/ Cyperus eragrostis

Common Rush/ Juncus patens

Herbs

Yerba Buena/ Clinopodium douglasii

California Hedge Nettle/ Stachys bullata

Western Vervain/ Verbena lasiostachys

Hummingbird Sage/ Salvia spathacea

Douglas Iris/ Iris douglasiana

California Woodland Strawberry /Fragaria californica

Beach Strawberry/ Fragaria chiloensis

Wild Strawberry/ Fragaria vesca

Western Goldenrod/ Euthamia occidentalis

Pacific Aster/ Aster chilensis

Yarrow/ Achillea millefolium

Woody Shrubs

Whipplea/ Whipplea modesta

Common Snow Berry/ Symphoricarpos albus

Creeping Snow Berry/ Symphoricarpos mollis

California Wild Rose/ Rosa californica

Red Flowering Currant /Ribes sanguineum

Lewis’s Mock Orange / Philadelphus lewisii

Elderberry /Sambucus nigra

Silk Tassel Bush / Garrya elliptica

Coffeeberry / Frangula californica

Trees

Big Leaf Maple/ Acer macrophyllum

Toyon/ Heteromeles arbutifolia

Project planning is underway for herbivory (grazing) in spring of 2026 to help manage invasive grasses and maintain a fuel reduction management strategy.