Prescribed Fire Videos

Behind the Scenes of Prescribed Fires

Fire is a natural part of the environment. Prescribed fires have long been used to maintain healthy ecosystems, reduce fuel loads, and encourage growth of beneficial and native species. Annually, hundreds of prescribed fires are planned and completed across the country with little or no media attention.

These videos take you into the highcountry of the park where grasslands have been managed by humans for thousands of years. Our prescibed fires are done in autumn, and are conducted in partnership with crews from the Six Rivers National Forest, CalFire, and Redwood National Park.

 

Discover more about our prescribed fire program.

 

"Wooden Gate Unit" - 2018

This 212-acre prescribed fire was conducted on November 7th, 2018 in the Bald Hills.

 

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  Time-lapse of a Prescribed Fire

  The duration of this three-hour prescribed fire is shown in 25-seconds. Watch how fire crews light and keep the fire within the boundaries of the intended burn. [No audio]

  Duration:

  25 seconds

 

"Airstrip Unit" - 2018

On November 1st, 2018 about 250-acres of grasslands and encroaching trees were burnt as part of meadow habitat restoration. Discover how, and why we do this kind of prescibed fire in the Bald Hills.

 

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  Using Fire As A Tool

  The fire's "Burn Boss" talks about the role of fire in the parks' meadow habitats.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 39 seconds

 

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  Meeting Our Objectives

  Two inter-agency fire managers talk about the science, teamwork, and operations involved in a prescribed fire in the park.

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 3 seconds

 

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  Why I Love My Job

  A US Forest Service / National Park Service fire-manager talks about his job.

  Duration:

  44 seconds

 

"Manez Unit" - 2017

This 200-acre unit in the Bald Hills was conducted on October 31st, 2017. Conditions allowed for more than just the grassland to be burnt - stands of conifers recieved some overdue treatment.

 

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  A Perfect Day To Burn

  Be on scene with a fire technician as he chats about the role of fire in an area that needs burning to keep grasslands open and healthy.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 33 seconds

 

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  Returning Fire To A Forest

  See first-hand and hear from a fire ecologist about the role of creeping fire in a mixed-conifer forest.

  Duration:

  59 seconds

 

"School-House Unit" - 2016

This 300-acre prescribed fire was conducted in the Bald Hills on September 30th, 2016. There are ten episodes that put you in the boots of different people - from the start, to the end of the fire.

 

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  The Briefing

  After weeks of planning and preparation, the weather forecast looks good. This part of the morning briefing tells the crews what the objectives are of the prescribed fire.

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 25 seconds

 

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  Igniting a Prescribed Fire

  The first minutes of a prescribed fire in the Bald Hills of Redwood National Park. This occurs after a small test burn has been competed, and only when the temperature, humidity, wind direction and fuel moisture are within strict parameters.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 40 seconds

 

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  Burning the Perimeter

  Using a "drip-torch", fire crews begin to burn the edges of the planned boundary. Here they are using a dirt road as an anchor-point and safety zone.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 33 seconds

 

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  Time-lapse of the Ignitions Team

  Watch how the fire-crews burn off down-slope strips of grass. Piece by piece, they burn the corner. In real-time, this took over 7-minutes.

  Duration:

  54 seconds

 

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  Close Up: The Ignitor's View

  Experience the sights and sounds from the perspective of one of the Six Rivers National Forest hand-crews.

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 52 seconds

 

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  Burning the Interior

  Once the exterior is safe and burnt, fire crews then bring fire to the interior. Depending on conditions they may "drag a line" of fire, or "put down dots" of fire.

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 13 seconds

 

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  Creeping Flames

  A fire burns slower and with less intensity when it moves down a slope. This fact is used by fire crews to their advantage.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 25 seconds

 

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  In The Black

  The area where the fire has been is called "the black". On this fire, the grasses are light fuels and they burned quickly. A simple investigation shows that their roots are still green. Many nutrients have been returned to the soil, and the wildflowers next spring will be plentiful.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 14 seconds

 

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  Time-lapse of the End of the Fire

  See how the last corner gets burnt by fire coming from two directions with two different crews. As expected, smoke is being drawn up into the fire's interior - and not over the road. In real-time this took about 8-minutes.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 10 seconds

 

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  Time-lapse of the Entire Fire

  In less than two minutes you can see almost five hours of the prescribed burn. Schoolhouse Fire Tower sits on the top of the distant hill.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 31 seconds

 

Audio-described versions of these videos are avaiable.