Prescribed Burn Scheduled in Kings Canyon National Park
The Goliath Prescribed Burn starting on June 11 in Redwood Canyon, which is located in Kings Canyon National Park, California, home of the world's largest sequoia grove, will return the natural fire history to the area and aid the giant sequoias.
The National Park Service announced the dates for the Goliath Prescribed Burn in Redwood Canyon, which is located in Kings Canyon National Park, California. The prescribed burn is scheduled to take place on June 11 for approximately four to five days. Lack of fire for decades has put parts of Redwood Canyon out of sync with the natural fire cycle, according to the agency.
NPS said forecast models and recent fuel moisture samples show this date will give the parks the best burn window to ensure a successful burn while minimizing smoke impacts.
"Home to the largest giant sequoia grove in the world, the purpose of this 759 acres prescribed burn is to reduce hazardous fuel loading, increase watershed health, and restore the natural fire cycle in the Redwood Canyon area ecosystem," according to its announcement. "A prescribed burn is one of the only natural means to prepare a mineral soil seed bed, which giant sequoias require to regenerate; the other being a lightning-caused fire when conditions may not be as ideal."
"Through this prescribed burn, we can complete a key segment in returning the natural fire history to an area of Redwood Canyon that hasn't seen fire for generations. We've seen from previous prescribed burns that areas where fire has been returned are not only safer, but show lower tree mortality and are more resilient to drought," said Tony Caprio, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks fire ecologist.
All trails surrounding the burn unit will have restricted access during ignition and through the burn-down period.