Fire Managers Postpone Hearst Prescribed Fire

Grand Canyon, AZ - Fire managers postponed the Hearst prescribed fire scheduled to take place near Grandview on the South Rim Wednesday, October 29, 2003, due to windy conditions. While all other components of the burn plan were met, fire managers' first priority is to provide for safety of firefighters and the public. The burn will be rescheduled when conditions are favorable.

Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire dependent ecosystems. Prescribed fires are based on burn plans that must be approved by the park superintendent before any of the recommended actions are implemented.

The park's General Management Plan, Resource Management Plan, and Fire Management Plan call for fire to be restored to the Park's ecosystem to reduce excess fuels and promote forest health. Fire managers seek to strike a balance between suppressing fires that threaten lives or property, and utilize fire as a tool to establish healthy forests.

For additional information, please call Grand Canyon National Park's Fire Information at 928-638-7819. (www.nps.gov/grca/fire/)