News Release

Fall Ignitions Complete for Sherman Prescribed Burn

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Smoke is seen rising from the Sherman Prescribed Burn

NPS / RPaterson

News Release Date: October 4, 2019
Contact: Fire Information Office, 559-565-3704

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. October 4, 2019 – Fire staff completed ignitions on the last segment of the Sherman Prescribed Burn unit today, with 244 acres treated since Wednesday. The other segments of this prescribed burn were treated in July 2019, and this final segment brings the project to a total acreage of 489. Firefighters will continue to patrol the area as vegetation inside the unit consumes itself, and ultimately self-extinguishes, likely with the arrival of rain or snow in the area.

The Sherman Prescribed Burn is located in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, approximately two miles northeast of the Giant Forest Museum. Visitors driving or hiking near the area may see smoke and/or areas of active flame. There are no trail closures associated with this prescribed burn.

“We used a combination of hand ignitions and aerial ignitions to complete this last segment safely and efficiently,” says Jeff Singer, burn boss trainee. “Studies are showing that forests that have been treated with prescribed burning are better protected against large, high-severity fire, like what we experienced with the Rough Fire in 2015. On the Sherman Prescribed Burn, we’re using this technique to promote healthy conditions around some of the most famous and loved trees in the world.”

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks work with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to coordinate and regulate smoke contributions to the airshed. For more information about air quality in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, visit go.nps.gov/sekiair. For regional information about air quality, visit www.valleyair.org.

For updates on this prescribed burn, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6245/.

-NPS-

About Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks’ Fire Management Program

For over fifty years, our mission has been to use the full range of options and strategies available to manage fire in the parks. This includes protecting park resources, employees, and the public from unwanted fire; building and maintaining fire resilient ecosystems; reducing the threat to local communities from wildfires emanating from the parks or adjacent lands; and recruiting, training, and retaining a professional fire management workforce.

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Tags: fire, prescribed fire, prescribed burn

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