800 Acres Successfully Treated with Prescribed Fire on South Rim

Date: November 15, 2013
Contact: Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, AZ – Last week, fire managers successfully treated 800 acres with prescribed fire (Rx) in one of the last remaining unburned areas on the South Rim. "In over 90 years of recorded fire history, the majority of the project area had never experienced fire" said District Fire Management Officer, Dan Pearson. "The Horsethief Rx is essential not only for ecological reasons, but also for the reduction of wildfire risk to the South Rim Village".

Through interagency cooperation with the USFS and several local fire departments, fire personnel were able to successfully ignite and hold 800 acres through hand and aerial ignition. Favorable winds minimized smoke impact to West Rim Drive with no impacts reported to the Grand Canyon South Rim Village.

Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property by reducing accumulations of forest fuels and maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-dependent ecosystem. The primary treatment area consisted of ponderosa pine stands surrounded by pinyon-juniper as well as grass and brush.

For updates on fire activity at Grand Canyon National Park, follow @GrandCanyonNPS on Twitter, or visithttps://inciweb.nwcg.gov or https://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/fire_info.htm. For more information on plans for South Rim prescribed fires, please call South Rim District Fire Management Officer Dan Pearson at 928-638-7934. 

-NPS-