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The Grant Grove area of Kings Canyon National Park
houses a fantastic intersection of park visitors, private
residents, and spectacular natural resources like giant
sequoia trees. While all of these groups have a different
relationship with fire, they do share a common need
for its responsible management.
Restoring and maintaining fire's presence on the
landscape is beneficial for people and the forest.
Regular fires not only reduce the risk to communities,
but they also stimulate healthy habitats for plants and
animals.
During the summer and fall of 2005, fire crews ignited
four prescribed fires in the Grant Grove area totaling
870 acres. While this was a fairly aggressive schedule
for one year, managers needed to make progress on a
backlog of projects caused by several years of no
prescribed burning.
Two of the projects in 2005, Grant G and Grant E, were "restoration burns" which means that the
landscape had not burned since the park was established. The prescribed burns thus "restored" the
essential process of fire to the area.
The other two projects, Grant West I and Grant West II were "maintenance burns." These areas were
intentionally burned in the 1990s and it was time to burn them again to match the natural fire cycle.
Each successive fire in an area maintains the healthy conditions that were created by earlier fires.
"The burns at Grant Grove last year were a great example of how we use prescribed fire for both
restoration and maintenance," said David Bartlett, District Fire Management Officer for Kings
Canyon National Park. "Restoring the process of fire to new areas is important, but we cannot forget
to maintain the areas that we’ve already treated."
Contact: Jody Lyle, Fire Communication & Education Specialist
Phone: (559) 565-3703 |
