Planned Projects

Mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada have a history of frequent fire. Park fire managers conduct prescribed burns to reduce logs and debris on the forest floor, thin the trees, and favor establishment of young sequoias and pines. This is a 2014 prescribed burn in Giant Forest.

NPS / Tony Caprio

The fire and fuels management program at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks tries to protect ecosystems and communities. This important work is accomplished by restoring fire's natural role in the environment and by reducing hazardous fuels.

Each year, managers prepare an Annual Fuels Treatment Plan that lists all the approved prescribed burns and mechanical fuel reduction projects that will help the parks accomplish goals.

If you are visiting the parks, be aware that fire and smoke can be present at any time. Since the execution of burns depends on air quality, local fire activity, fuel moistures, and weather, the times listed here are estimates only.

Fuels Projects Table

The table below identifies the planned projects for Calendar Year 2022 and their status. There are 11 projects planned for a total of 3,493 acres. Prescribed broadcast burns are planned for 3,192 acres and manual thin and pile for 301 acres.

Location	Unit Name	Type	Acres	Date
Ash Mountain	Ash Mountain	Manual Thin	20	Throughout 2022
Ash Mountain	Ash Mountain	Burn	20	Throughout 2022
Giant Forest	Tharps	Burn	748	Summer or Fall
Lodgepole	Lodgepole	Manual Thin	19	July - October
Lodgepole	Lodgepole	Pile Burn	20	December
Grant Grove	Big Stump	Pile Burn	80	Completed March 2022
Grant Grove	Big Stump Phase 2	Manual Thin	162	July - December
Grant Grove	Park Ridge	Burn	562	Summer or Fall
Grant Grove	Redwood 12	Burn	252	Fall
Lost Grove	Lost Grove	Burn	669	Fall
Mineral King	Deer Creek	Burn	941	Late Fall

Large Chinook helicopter drops water on the Paradise Fire in the foothills of Sequoia National Park, before it merged with Colony Fire to form the KNP Complex on September 17, 2021.

NPS / Mark Garrett

2021 Fire Season

Most of the parks' planned fuels reduction projects could not be completed in 2021 due to drought that impacted burning conditions, and a very active fire season in California, Oregon, and Washington that reduced staffing levels for planned projects. In September 2021, a lightning storm ignited two fires in Sequoia National Park in rugged terrain with limited access. These fires burned together to become the KNP Complex Fire. This fire was a major focus for local park staff as well as interagency management teams who provided support in fire suppression efforts. Learn more about this fire on the KNP Complex Fire web page.