News Release

Sherman Prescribed Burn Postponed

Date: June 22, 2018
Contact: Mike Theune, Fire Information Officer, 559-565-3703
Contact: Rebecca Paterson, Fire Information Officer, 559-565-3129

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, Calif. June 22, 2018 – Plans for a 295-acre prescribed burn in the Giant Forest area of Sequoia National Park, known as the Sherman Prescribed Burn, have been postponed until further notice. While ignitions were to begin on Tuesday, park officials deemed that fuel and weather conditions are not ideal to move forward with the project as scheduled; specifically the moisture content of the fuels, and predicted atmospheric conditions would provide for poor smoke dispersion.

“Despite recent warm and dry weather, fuels inside of the project area have retained moisture that could result in increased smoke production,” says Sequoia District Fire Management Officer Kelly Singer. “It’s important that we take advantage of opportunities to bring prescribed fire into the ecosystem, but when smoke dispersion conditions are less than ideal, we have to weigh that against impacts to residents and visiting public.”

The parks work in coordination with the San Joaquin Valley Pollution Control District when planning prescribed burns. While a consensus was reached with the district to allow the burn to go forward as planned, fire management officials at the parks decided instead to postpone the project, and plan to revisit it after Labor Day.

Visitors can learn more about air quality and smoke by visiting www.airnow.gov or www.valleyair.org. For more information on this prescribed burn, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5854/

-NPS-