Prescribed Fire Videos

Behind the Scenes of Prescribed Fires

Fire is a part of California. Since time immemorial, low intensity fires have been used to maintain ecosystems, reduce fuel loads, and encourage growth of beneficial and native species. This video series takes you into the highcountry of the park where for thousands of years the grasslands had been treated with fire by the Yurok Tribe. 

After a year of planning our prescibed fires are done in autumn when conditions allow. These are conducted in partnership with crews from the Six Rivers National Forest, CalFire, and Redwood National Park.

National Park Service crews across the nation have used prescribed fire as a management tool since the early 1960s. These frequent and low intensity fires reduce the chance and severity of wildfires. Annually in the USA, hundreds of prescribed fires are sucessfully completed with little or no media attention.

 

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 Wooden Gate 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

 

"Lower Airstrip Unit" - 2018

On November 1st, 2018 about 250-acres of grasslands and encroaching trees were burnt as part of meadow habitat restoration. In these three episodes, 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

These two episodes take you into a 200-acre prescribed fire in the Bald Hills which was conducted on October 31st, 2017. Conditions allowed for more than just the grassland to be burnt - stands of conifers received 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 operation.

 

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  EP1 - The Briefing

  After weeks of planning and preparation, the weather forecast looks good. The morning briefing tells the fire crews what the objectives are of the "School House Unit" prescribed fire.

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 25 seconds

 

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  EP2 - Igniting a Prescribed Fire

  The first minutes of the School House Unit 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. (No audio except the sound of crackling flames and brief radio transmissions)

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 40 seconds

 

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  EP3 - Burning the Perimeter

  Using a "drip-torch", fire crews begin to burn the edges of the planned boundary of the School House Unit. Here they are using a dirt road as an anchor-point and safety zone. (There is no audio except the sound of crackling flames and muffled chatter of fire crews)

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 33 seconds

 

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  EP4 - Time Lapse of the Ignitions Team

  Watch how the fire-crews burn off down-slope strips of grass. Piece by piece, they burn the grass an interior corner of a road. (No spoken word- only the sounds of crackling fire). In real-time, this took over 7-minutes.

  Duration:

  54 seconds

 

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  EP5 - Close Up from an Ignitor's View

  Experience the sights and sounds of using a drip torch from the perspective of the Six Rivers National Forest hand-crews. ( No spoken words, only the sounds of crackling flames)

  Duration:

  3 minutes, 52 seconds

 

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  EP6 - Burning the Interior

  On the School House Unit, once the perimeter 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. (No narration, only sounds of crackling flames)

  Duration:

  2 minutes, 13 seconds

 

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  EP7 - Creeping Flames

  See how fire burns slower and with less intensity when it moves down a slope. This fact is used by fire crews to their advantage on prescribed fire operations. (There is no narration and only sounds of crackling flames)

  Duration:

  1 minute, 25 seconds

 

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  EP8 - In The Black

  The area where the fire has been is called "the black". On this prescribed fire, the grasses are light fuels and they burned quickly. A simple investigation shows that their roots are still green and alive. Many nutrients have been returned to the soil, and the wildflowers next spring will be plentiful. (No narration and the only audio is sounds of crackling flame)

  Duration:

  1 minute, 14 seconds

 

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  EP9 - Time-lapse of the end of the School House Prescribed 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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  EP10 - Time-lapse of the entire School House Prescribed Fire

  In less than two minutes you can see almost five hours of this prescribed burn. Schoolhouse Fire Tower sits on the top of the distant hill. (No narration and the only sounds are of crackling flames)

  Duration:

  1 minute, 31 seconds