A group of fourth-year forest and fire sciences majors teamed up with CAL FIRE and California State Parks for a successful prescribed burn at Cal Poly’s Escuela Ranch on Oct. 13 — the first ever to be held on campus.

Students gained real-world experience in ignition techniques, fire line safety and ecosystem restoration while helping reduce wildfire risk and promote healthy grasslands. The prescribed burn was led by Assistant Professor Ashley Grupenhoff of the Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences Department.