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SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. June 2, 2022 – Fire managers with Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have scheduled the annual Ash Mountain Prescribed Burn in the foothills of Sequoia National Park, near the parks’ headquarters and entrance station along the main road, Generals Highway. Ignitions are planned to begin on June 5, 2022, and continue through June 6, 2022.

Prescribed burning in the parks’ foothills ecosystem reduces concentrations of fine fuels such as exotic grasses that aid in the rapid spread of wildfire; a critical factor that later in the year could limit access for first responders and hamper evacuations.  

“These treated areas gave firefighting resources a safer area to engage and be successful as KNP Complex Fire of 2021 bore down on the volatile foothill fuels around the park’s headquarters and the community of Three Rivers” said Leif Mathiesen, parks’ deputy fire management officer. “This allowed fire managers to more quickly reallocate resources to portions of the fire threatening the community of Three Rivers and threatened natural and cultural resources and infrastructure inside the park. We need to continue to have that advantage in the foothill zone going forward.”

The 2022 Ash Mountain Prescribed Burn consists of 5 segments, for a total of approximately 15 acres between the Sequoia National Park entrance station and the Foothills Visitor Center, one mile inside the park. The remaining acres in the foothills are being treated manually through mowing or grazing by the parks’ stock animals.

Information about this prescribed burn will be posted to the parks’ website, social media pages, and Inciweb at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8129/

Visitors may see smoke, active fire, and firefighters during the burn, and are asked to drive slowly and follow all firefighter instructions. Smoke impacts are expected to be minimal and short-lived, as the vegetation in the unit is chiefly fine fuels that will be consumed quickly. Visitors can learn more about air quality and smoke by visiting www.fire.airnow.gov or www.valleyair.org. 

-NPS-

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ Fire Management Program

For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce.