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Large-scale fuel management projects at Grand Canyon National Park continue to abate dense forest vegetation that resulted from nearly a century of fire exclusion. They are addressing one of the National Fire Plan’s key elements, the reduction of hazardous levels of vegetative fuels.
Favorable weather, fuel moisture conditions, and winds from an approaching front created an excellent window for fire managers to complete the Hance and Watson prescribed fires on the South Rim during the Fall of 2002. Crews from Zion National Park, Kaibab National Forest, and the Southwest Area Fire Use Training Academy assisted.
Hand ignition was used for the 406-acre Hance burn. Aerial ignition was used for the 2,973-acre Watson Burn, which was completed in one day. Smoke impacts in the inner canyon were minimal but poor visibility caused temporary delays along Desert View Drive. The park’s Fire Effects crew has collected data from six monitoring plots within the burned area to determine if fuel and vegetation objectives were met.
In addition, the Bright Angel Project continued as crews burned 264 acres of slash piles on the park’s North Rim. This project was designed to reduce potential impacts of wildland fire in the North Rim developed area.
Both the North and South Rim burns were highly visible and provided an excellent opportunity to educate the public about wildland fire. Visitors gained a better understanding of fire’s vital role in the ponderosa pine ecosystem and its use as a tool to accomplish resource management objectives.
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