The Army normally lights 1-2 prescribed burns – carefully controlled brush fires that burn off vegetation – on Fort Ord land each year. From 1999-2003 the Army did not conduct any prescribed burns, while a lawsuit was resolved and additional studies performed. Prescribed burns will resume fall 2003 and may continue each year thereafter. The prescribed burns are on land located several miles away from CSUMB.

The reason for the fires is to burn off vegetation so that the Army can safely enter and clean up areas where there could still be unexploded ordnance and explosives. These items are left over from the days when Fort Ord was an Army training center.

Even after the unexploded ordnance and explosives have been cleaned up, there will continue to be prescribed burns. The reasons are:

1. Periodic prescribed burns rejuvenate the unique plant and animal habitat at Fort Ord, so prescribed burns are encouraged by agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; and
2. Burning off the brush in small controlled fires keeps the brush from building up to the point that an accidental fire could quickly become so large that it might be difficult to control and could possibly burn beyond the boundaries of former Fort Ord land.

These fires do cause smoke. Local residents, including those who live on the former Fort Ord, who have health problems such as existing respiratory ailments, may want to participate in a voluntary relocation program established by the Army. The Army will pay for meals, transportation and lodging out of the area for people who want to be away the three days that smoke may be in the air.

Why Does the Army Use Prescribed Burns?

From 1917 until 1994, Fort Ord served as a training and staging area for the U.S. Army. During those years of training, soldiers fired millions of rounds of small arms ammunition. They also fired grenades, mortars, rockets and artillery. These items are generally referred to by the term “ordnance and explosives.” Millions of artillery and ordnance rounds were fired during Fort Ord’s training days, and inevitably a small percentage did not explode and could still be triggered if people disturb these materials. Unexploded ordnance can be very unstable and may create a serious safety hazard.

Since 1994 the Army has spent millions of dollars investigating where unexploded ordnance and explosives could still be found on the former Fort Ord, and cleaning it up. There are many places at Fort Ord where there is no history of ordnance and explosives use, such as the residences and office buildings used by the soldiers, the golf courses, and some tracts of open land. In fact, many of these areas have already been transferred to community organizations such as CSUMB and the University of California. Other areas have been systematically cleaned up, and have been transferred to community organizations or local governments for use as parks, or for economic development.

But there are still areas the Army needs to clean up. In particular, the Army needs to clean up land known as the Multi-Range Area. View map of Multi-Range Area. This land is located several miles from CSUMB. The Multi-Range Area consists of a number of former artillery training ranges. The ordnance and explosives present at or near the surface of these ranges are highly explosive and so sensitive that they can be detonated at the slightest disturbance. Some portions of the Multi-Range Area are near residential areas and schools, and they are accessible, so the temptation to trespass is high.

Fences are less than 100% effective at keeping people out of restricted areas. Experience shows that some people, particularly children, think a fence is simply a challenge. In 1999, children from Fitch Middle School trespassed onto Ranges 43-48 and collected a number of “inert practice” rifle grenades that are present on the surface. The practice grenades are non-explosive, and release a colored dye upon impact. Miraculously, the children had only collected inert practice grenades in spite of the fact that high explosive rifle grenades were also present on the surface of these ranges.

Since this incident the Army reinforced the existing fences with razor wire to prevent access to these ranges, along with warning signs and patrols. However, in 2002 there were two more incidents of trespassing.

The Army believes that the unexploded ordnance must be quickly removed to prevent injuries to people that choose to trespass. The regulatory agencies also want the land to be cleaned up as soon as possible.

These highly explosive items also pose significant safety challenges to the ordnance and explosives professionals who have been hired to remove them. Cleaning up unexploded ordnance and explosives is a dangerous job under even the best circumstances, but it is particularly dangerous if workers can’t see the ground where they are walking.

The surface of much of the lands rated as high priority for cleanup is covered with thick vegetation that makes it impossible for workers to see the ground and the high explosive items hidden by the brush.

Consequently, the Army’s explosive safety experts have determined that the ordnance and explosives cannot be safely removed until the vegetation is thoroughly cleared.

In the past, the Army has cleared brush by starting carefully planned controlled fires that burn the brush down to the ground, as shown in the second picture above.

Inevitably this has created smoke that has blown over surrounding communities. The Army halted the prescribed burn program in 1998 following a lawsuit by the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District claiming jurisdiction over prescribed burns at Fort Ord, coupled with regulatory concerns expressed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control.

The Army concentrated, instead, on cleaning up those lands where hand or mechanical clearing of vegetation was possible and it was safe for ordnance and explosives removal specialists to work.

In April 2001, a federal court ruled that the Air District did not have jurisdiction over prescribed burns at Fort Ord but required the Army to prepare more detailed environmental documents before reaching a decision. The Army completed this documentation in 2002. Community bulletins describing studies and community involvement program.

The Army, in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC), concluded that the Army’s program is protective of human health and the environment, and complies with federal and state requirements. The Army, EPA, and DTSC have also concluded that, because of the proximity to homes and schools, and the sensitivity of the particular items, the unexploded ordnance and explosives on Ranges 43-48, Range 30A, and OE-16 [the highest priority sites in the Multi-Range Area] are an imminent threat. The Army concluded that there was no safe way for cleanup workers to enter these areas to clear vegetation without danger of accidentally triggering explosives that could kill or injure the cleanup workers.

In November 2002, the Army scheduled a prescribed burn of Ranges 43-48. However, weather conditions did not develop as predicted, so the Army decided not to proceed with the burn. The Army has established strict guidelines for atmospheric conditions under which the burn will occur. These guidelines are intended to minimize the public’s exposure to smoke. These desired weather conditions usually occur only in the fall months.

The Army has scheduled a prescribed burn during fall 2003, and there will probably continue to be 1-2 prescribed burns each year, usually during the fall months.

Habitat Issues

One of the key habitats at Fort Ord is called Central Maritime Chaparral. Maritime chaparral has evolved with fire being a critical part of its natural life cycle.

Fort Ord Vegetation.

This plant community—and the animal species that dwell in it—are dependent on fire to recycle the nutrients, expose the mineral soil and stimulate germination of the seeds in the soil that have accumulated since the last fire. This natural succession allows the plant community to rejuvenate itself and enhances the natural diversity of this rare and unique habitat. This habitat does not rejuvenate well if it is cleared by hand cutting.

Central Maritime Chaparral is an extremely rare plant community. Approximately 85% of the worldwide distribution of several rare and endangered plants in central maritime chaparral exists on Fort Ord. Because they are rare and endangered, they are protected by law. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the federal agency responsible for enforcing this law—the Endangered Species Act.

In 1997, the Army and many other entities (such as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; Monterey Peninsula College; City of Marina, etc.) signed a Habitat Management Plan (HMP) with the Fish & Wildlife Service to protect rare and endangered species and their habitats at the former Fort Ord and to allow the development of other areas. The Fish & Wildlife Service determined that the Habitat Management Plan will protect maritime chaparral if the Army and other future land managers conduct prescribed burns. View Habitat Management Plan Map.

The Army has identified 8,150 acres of land covered by maritime chaparral where there is suspected unexploded ordnance and explosives. Of this, approximately 6,600 acres are designated as future habitat reserves that will be managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. For example, approximately 435 acres of the 580-acre proposed burn area at Ranges 43-48 contains maritime chaparral and is designated as future habitat reserve. Under the terms of the Habitat Management Plan, the Army is supposed to use prescribed burns as the primary method of brush clearance in designated habitat reserves containing central maritime chaparral. The Habitat Management Plan limits the burning of Central Maritime Chaparral in designated habitat reserves to no more than 800 acres a year.

Even after the Army has completed all cleanup of ordnance and explosives, the Bureau of Land Management will continue to use prescribed burns as a way to rejuvenate habitat and control the amount of fuel so that an accidental fire would not burn unchecked.

The Air Emissions Study

• Although prescribed burns are a normal occurrence in California, there are residents in the Monterey Bay area who have expressed concern that smoke from fires at Fort Ord contain dangerous pollutants.
  The Army and regulatory agencies have conducted extensive studies that show:
• A prescribed burn at Fort Ord is essentially no different than a prescribed burn on any other land.
• The fire will detonate some unexploded ordnance or explosives, but the emissions from this ordnance and explosives is small and well below health protective regulatory standards. View description of air emissions studies.

The Army has developed a smoke management program to minimize exposure to smoke, but nobody is arguing that being exposed to smoke is good for people. Breathing smoke can be a problem for some people with existing health problems. People with known respiratory problems may want to leave the area for a few days when burns occur, as a precautionary measure only.

Dr. Linda Velasquez, Interim Monterey County Public Health Officer, reviewed the health literature regarding prescribed burns at the former Fort Ord and concluded:
“Breathing smoke is not good for you, but how harmful it is depends on how much you breathe and your own state of health. The amounts of smoke that result from a properly conducted prescribed burn should not pose a health problem to healthy people. If there is any discomfort it should be temporary or minimal, like the effects of sitting around a campfire. But people with existing breathing conditions, such as asthma or emphysema, may want to take reasonable precautions like staying indoors or might consider relocating during the fire.”

Because some people are particularly sensitive to smoke, the Army has developed a voluntary temporary relocation program. The Army will pay lodging, food, and transportation costs for people who wish to be out of the area during the fire. For information about the relocation program, call (831) 242-7383 or (800) 852-9699 or view information regarding the Relocation Program.

No Radioactive Weapons on Fort Ord Land

There are no radioactive weapons on the land at Fort Ord.

Some local residents have claimed that the Army used depleted uranium shells, and fires will release radioactivity into the air. This claim is not true.

According to Fort Ord records, three 55 millimeter depleted uranium rounds were stored in Building 3708 at Fort Ord in the final years of Fort Ord operation. These rounds were brought to train personnel in weapons set-up, so that troops would understand the right amount of propulsion they would need to fire such rounds. The rounds were never fired. In fact, they had to be signed in and out each day. When Fort Ord was closed, the shells were moved to another military installation.

After Fort Ord closed, the Army checked radiation levels at Building 3708. There were no readings above normal background levels. The State of California, Department of Health Services, concurs that there is no radiological health hazard at Building 3708.

No Use of Chemical Weapons at Fort Ord

The Army has conducted extensive record reviews and has not found records indicating that chemical munitions were ever used at Fort Ord. However, in March 1997, during an unexploded ordnance removal action, the Army found two chemical agent identification sets buried approximately 1 foot deep in a wooded area. These kits contained 24 small glass vials each holding 40 mil of dilute solutions of chemical material. These kits were used decades ago to train soldiers about the characteristic odors and physical sensations of chemical weapons used in warfare. The training kits were removed using an established protocol. No additional training kits have been found during the ordnance and explosives cleanup at the former Fort Ord, even though more than 500,000 test holes have been investigated. There is no evidence that chemical weapons were ever used at the former Fort Ord.

Small Amounts of Poison Oak in the Air

Poison oak does contain a substance called urushiol that causes the poison oak rash. This substance can be carried in smoke when poison oak is burned. Some land at Fort Ord contains poison oak. However, there is relatively little poison oak on the land where prescribed burns will occur. This land is predominantly maritime chaparral habitat. Studies by the Army showed that the percentage of poison oak coverage in maritime chaparral habitats is very small, less than 1% of the land. Poison oak is more prevalent in upland oak habitat, but the areas being burned have almost none of this habitat.

There have been numerous fires and prescribed burns at Fort Ord in the past, and the Army has not received reports of poison oak cases during these past fires. The Army checked with fire departments that managed previous fires at Fort Ord to get their reports on poison oak cases. The fire departments reported no cases of poison oak from smoke exposure among local fire fighters.

Flying shrapnel

The fire may set off some of the unexploded items in the training ranges, including rockets and projectiles. The propellant in these items has been expended, so there is no danger of them flying like a rocket. But the explosives that remain could send some shrapnel flying through the air.

The Army has considerable knowledge about the characteristics of each of the shells and explosives at the site, and has calculated the maximum distance that shrapnel from one of these items could fly. Using very conservative assumptions, the maximum distance of the materials on Ranges 43-48 is 1,701 feet.

The fire planned for Fall 2003 is located close to Fitch Park, an area of housing for military personnel at Fort Ord. There are twenty-six homes at Fitch Park that are just inside the 1,701-foot boundary (and that assumes that the exploding item is located at exactly the outer boundary of the fire). The Army asks residents of these homes to stay inside the mornings of this burn, even though it believes 1,701 feet to be a considerable over-estimate of the distance anything will travel. Fire engines and security personnel will also patrol Fitch Park during the fire.

There is no danger of shrapnel reaching CSUMB.

How Fires Are Controlled

Long before a burn actually occurs, a team of specialists develops a Burn Plan that looks at specific site conditions and the staff and organization required to conduct a safe burn. This plan is reviewed by a number of local and state fire organizations to ensure it is fully adequate.

Before the fire, the team makes sure that there are cleared roadways and fuel breaks around the perimeter of the fire. In addition, the team treats a strip 100 feet wide outwards from the containment roads with fire retardant. The 8,000 acre Multi-Range Area (which includes Ranges 43-48) is subdivided into smaller areas – called “defensible polygons” – that are surrounded by roads. The areas alongside these roads have been cleared, providing a 45-foot wide fuel break. These roads can also be treated with foam before a fire reaches them.

Map of defensible polygons

The fire is controlled using helicopters. View photos of fire equipment used during prescribed burn. Firefighters cannot be on the roads surrounding the burn once the fire has started, because they could be exposed to shrapnel from ordnance detonated in the fire. The core decision making team includes: the Army Fire Department Chief and the Burn Contractor’s Incident Commander, who control the overall management of the fire; a Fire Behavior Analyst who tracks the fire on both live video and infrared feeds; an Ignition Specialist, responsible for starting the fire; and a Meteorologist, who tracks the weather conditions moment by moment. One of the helicopters is equipped with infrared technology that allows the core team to “look through” the smoke and detect any fires that start outside the containment area. These fires can then be suppressed immediately.

How the Land Will Be Used After Cleaned Up

The Army does not decide how the land will be used in the future. These decisions are made by the Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA). View map of Reuse Plan In 1997, the Fort Ord Reuse Authority approved an overall plan, called the Base Reuse Plan, and the environmental documents needed to support that plan. This plan was developed after an extensive public process, during which the public had numerous opportunities to provide comments.

Under this plan, most of the prescribed burn areas will remain in natural habitat. When all the land is cleaned up it will be turned over to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which will manage it for recreation and as a natural area. In effect, this part of the former Fort Ord will become a 15,000-acre park, the largest in Monterey County.

LINKS

Former Fort Ord Cleanup program website, http://www.FortOrdCleanup.com.

California Department of Toxic Substances Control Fort Ord page, http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/OMF/Fort_Ord/index.html

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overview of Fort Ord Cleanup, http://yosemite.epa.gov/r9/sfund

Fort Ord Document Repository – CSUMB Library, http://library.csumb.edu/itcrepository

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the Army use prescribed burns?

The Army is cleaning up unexploded ordnance and explosives at former artillery training ranges. A small percentage of this ordnance and explosives was never detonated, and could explode if bumped. These lands are covered with heavy vegetation – chaparral brush – that prevents cleanup workers from seeing the ground. It’s unsafe to enter this land until the vegetation is removed, so cleanup workers won’t accidentally trigger unexploded ordnance or explosives.

Doesn’t it harm the habitat to burn the vegetation?

The habitat covering the areas that need to be cleaned up, Central Maritime Chaparral, has adapted to periodic fires and is actually rejuventated by fires. If brush is cleared using hand-cutting, the habitat does not rejuventate nearly as well. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has an agreement with the Army and other agencies managing lands at the former Fort Ord requiring them to use prescribed burns.

Isn’t there any other way to clear the vegetation?

The Army conducted a major study to consider alternatives. All other methods involve entering the land, which isn’t safe. Clearing the land using hand-cutting – in addition to being unsafe – has a harmful effect on the habitat.

What areas will be burned?

Prescribed burns are planned in an area known as the Multi-Range Area, former artillery training ranges. The Multi-Range Area is located in the south central part of Fort Ord, more than a mile away from CSUMB, and adjacent to Seaside and Del Rey Oaks.

When do prescribed burns occur?

Prescribed burns occur during a “burn season” between July – December of each year.

How many burns will there be each year?

Normally, 1-2 per year.

Is a prescribed burn at Fort Ord different than a prescribed burn anywhere else?

Basically, no. The Army and the environmental regulatory agencies studied this question carefully and concluded that the amount of contaminants put into the air by incidental detonation of ordnance and explosives during a fire was extremely small and well below health protective screening levels.

Is there radioactivity in the smoke?

No. Fort Ord never used radioactive weapons.

Did Fort Ord use chemical weapons?

No. Fort Ord never used chemical weapons.

Will poison oak be a problem?

Prescribed burns have been conducted at Fort Ord for years, and smoke-borne poison oak has never been reported as a problem. Poison oak is actually rare in central maritime chaparral, well under 1% of the total land coverage.

Is the smoke a health hazard?

The amounts of smoke from prescribed burns should not pose a problem for normal people, but could pose a problem for people with existing respiratory problems.

What if I have respiratory ailments?

The Army will alert the community that a prescribed burn is planned. If you are sensitive to smoke, you can stay in the area taking normal precautions such as staying indoors and avoiding extreme outdoor exercise. Or you can relocate for the 3 days that smoke could be in the air. The Army will pay for your meals, lodging out of the area, and transportation.