• View of Half Dome and Washington Column in Yosemite Valley

    Yosemite

    National Park California

Prescribed Fire History Map

Boundary map of Yosemite that marks past prescribed burn areas
Yosemite National Park helped lead the development of the National Park Service's prescribed burn program. Yosemite's first prescribed burn occurred in 1970. View the legend above to see the number of acres ignited by prescribed fires in more than four decades.
 

 

Did You Know?

American Indians use traditional ignition methods on a prescribed fire project

The indigenous people of Yosemite Valley have used fire as a tool for thousands of years. Fire was used to encourage the growth of plants used for basket making and to promote the growth of the black oak--a sun loving species--and a staple food source for American Indians from this region.