News Release

Cape Cod National Seashore Announces Prescribed Burn

News Release Date: March 7, 2025

Contact: Linzy French, 508-957-0710

WELLFLEET, Mass.– Cape Cod National Seashore will conduct a prescribed burn at Fort Hill in Eastham, weather permitting, during the second week of March. The park will provide updates on timing via its website and social media platforms. 

The prescribed burn will be conducted by trained and experienced fire managers under a pre-determined set of conditions that include temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, fuel moisture and resource availability. The project that will burn approximately 14 acres on the hillside adjacent to the upper parking lot at Fort Hill should only take one day to complete. 

Smoke from the burn may be visible in and around the Fort Hill area. All park facilities will remain open during the prescribed burn but access to Fort Hill will be restricted. 

The landscape of the Fort Hill area has a recognized and distinct historical character. The Cultural Landscape Report of Fort Hill (1995) recommends its preservation through the use of mechanized cutting and prescribed burning in accordance with a prescribed burn plan. The National Park Service conducts prescribed burns regularly in the Fort Hill area, as well as other locations within Cape Cod National Seashore. 

Located in Eastham, the Fort Hill area provides expansive views of the Nauset Marsh and Atlantic Ocean. The land once included two large farmsteads, owned by the Knowles family and the Penniman family, from the 1740s through the 1940s. These families farmed the land up until the 1950s. The National Park Service acquired the land in 1963.