News Release

Yosemite Pile Burning - Wawona

Date: December 5, 2023

Yosemite Fire is planning pile burning operations in the Wawona community with a focus on Forest Drive and the Bills Hill area. Burning may begin as early as Thursday, December 7 and continue into Friday, December 8. These piles are from mechanical treatment projects where materials were cut and gathered into piles by hand or with heavy equipment. Burning and removal of this material helps make forests more resilient to future wildfires and in communities, can help protect homes from the threat of future fires. 

Fire managers work closely with Park staff and the local air pollution control districts to time burning operations to coincide with favorable weather and smoke dispersion conditions. Smoke impacts are always a consideration in the decision to begin any burning and operations will only be conducted under favorable conditions. Air quality and smoke information in Yosemite can be found online.