YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK–Yosemite National Park fire crews have several prescribed burns planned over the next several weeks.
Fire crews will begin burning in Mariposa Grove starting this week as conditions allow. Ignitions are planned to begin today, May 30th, in the early evening and extend into tomorrow.
Mariposa Grove Unit 2 is 37 acres, and Mariposa Grove Unit 4 is 160 acres. Trail closures within the units will be in effect during and several days after burning operations are complete. Trails will reopen when it is safe to do so.
Burning is being conducted to protect the Giant Sequoias from unwanted wildfires and help restore fire as a natural part of the ecosystem.
Last year, the Washburn Fire burned into the Mariposa Grove. Due to previous prescribed fires in the Grove, the Giant Sequoias were saved from the fire.
“The recent (2022) Washburn wildfire in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park, east of Wawona, has shown the effectiveness of fuels treatments in and around giant sequoia redwood groves.”
–Burt Stalter, District Fuels Manager, Bass Lake Ranger District of the Sierra National Forest
Smoke will be visible along Wawona Road (Highway 41) during and after burning operations.
Air quality information can be found online at https://fire.airnow.gov/
Yosemite Fire Information
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Prescribed burning is an efficient and effective way to mitigate the risk of large wildfires by decreasing excessive fuel build-up, which reduces fire intensity and protects infrastructure and natural resources.
