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Whoosh! The crew member on the helicopter
inserted another fusee into the dispenser tube and watched
it drop nearly 150 feet to the forest below. Small columns
of smoke were starting to be visible on the mountainside.
The radio crackled with the message that firefighters on the
ground were also beginning ignitions using hand-held drip
torches. Finally, after several years of waiting, the Lewis
Creek Prescribed Fire was underway.
This prescribed fire, located north of the
Cedar Grove area in Kings Canyon National Park, was originally
planned as a fall burn. So why were firefighters igniting
on March 16 and 17, 2005?
For the last several years, the parks were
unable to complete the 1,000-acre project due to regional
air quality conditions during September and October. Thus,
with cooperation from the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution
Control District, the parks took advantage of some warm spring
weather and burned 30% of the project. The fire spread in
a typical mosaic pattern leaving patches of burned and unburned
plants, which mimics how fires burn naturally.
Completing a portion of this prescribed
burn during the spring was good for park resources, air quality,
and park neighbors. Burning in the spring is supported by
initial results from a research study conducted in these parks
beginning in 2000. The study is looking at how plants, animals,
and soils are affected by fire depending on the season of
burning. While the effects are different, it appears that
there are not negative effects from burning in the spring
rather than the fall. Of course, early burning is often impossible
because fuel moistures can be too wet from snow and rain.
Finally, park visitors, neighbors, employees,
and local businesses were not impacted during the burn because
the Cedar Grove area, including the road and all facilities,
was closed during March as it is every year. The remainder
of the project is planned for fall to prevent smoke impacts
during the busy summer season.
For more information about the fire and
fuels management program at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National
Parks, go to http://www.nps.gov/seki/naturescience/fire.htm.
Contact: Jody
Lyle ; Fire Education and Information Specialist
Phone: (559)
565-3703 |
