News Release

North Coast Redwoods District – Prescribed Burns Planned in Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Humboldt Redwoods, and Sinkyone Wilderness State Parks

News Release Date: September 16, 2025
Contact: Lathrop Leonard, [phone]

EUREKA – California State Parks, in cooperation with CAL FIRE, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation and other local partners are planning to begin a series of prescribed burns in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park in September and possibly through November. Smoke and flames may be visible from from Highway 197 near Jedediah Smith Redwoods, Mattole Road in Humboldt Redwoods, and Briceland Road in Sinkyone Wilderness.

The prescribed burns are designed to reduce the encroachment of conifers into prairies, reducing fuels loads in the forests and decreasing the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire. These prescribed burns are part of an on-going resource management program designed to maintain prairie grasslands, enhance forage for wildlife, control exotic plant species, return fire as a natural process to the parks, and maintain our old growth forests for generations to come. California State Parks is collaborating with local tribes to reintroduce fire as a land management tool, while also supporting revitalization of traditional cultural practices on their ancestral lands.

Redwood National and State Parks will initiate their prescribed burn season in the Bald Hills area in late September, including Ganns Prairie, Upper Dolason, Lower Dolason, Lower Elk Camp, Upper Lyons, Lower Lyons, and South Boundary.

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 The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, and the programs supported by its Office of Historic Preservation and divisions of Boating and Waterways and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Learn more at parks.ca.gov. 

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