News Release
NPS/Peter Densmore
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Contact: Peter Densmore
Contact: Izaak McHenry
Beginning Monday, January 10, park fire managers will begin the burning of 25 hand piles near North Campground. No closures will occur, and smoke should produce only minor localized impacts to air quality.
Pile burning will continue as long as weather conditions allow, and is not anticipated to last more than one to two days. The piles may smolder for a few days after ignition, but fire staff will monitor them until declared out.
This project began in 2020, using mechanical methods such as chainsaws to thin downed and crowded trees. The debris was then placed into hand piles to dry and later burn once snow and other weather conditions were favorable for visitor and firefighter safety.
Prescribed fires like these reduce hazardous fuel build-up. This not only helps to maintain fire's natural role in this ecosystem, but protects sensitive cultural and natural resources within the park. Similar work in the Rainbow Point area was crucial to wildland fire crews’ ability to safely manage the Riggs and Lonely fires. In 2018 those fires burned over 2,200 acres across National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service land southeast of Rainbow Point.
Last updated: January 6, 2022