YOSEMITE — Yosemite National Park fire managers are planning to continue ignitions of the Mariposa Grove prescribed fire project on Saturday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Oct. 23.
An estimated 7 to 10 days of active burn down is anticipated, with the focus in the upper grove for a total of 55 acres. Fire managers have already successfully completed 75 acres of ignitions, out of the 137 acre total project.
Smoke will be present in the Wawona area, and fire managers are working with the Mariposa County Air Pollution Control District (MCAPCD) to time the project to coincide with favorable weather and smoke dispersion conditions.
Smoke, affecting health, is always a consideration in the decision to schedule prescribed fires. A smoke management plan has been submitted to the MCAPCD, and a burn permit has been issued. A smoke monitor will be placed in nearby communities.
Historically, natural fire burned an average of 16,000 acres annually in Yosemite National Park and played an integral role in shaping Yosemite’s ecosystem. Yosemite’s Fire Management Program works to balance the protection of life, property, and natural and cultural resources with the restoration of fire as a natural process. Due to decades of fire suppression (actively putting out any fire that started), many areas have become overgrown, unhealthy, and increasingly vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire.
The Mariposa Grove project is near the top of the Grove from Wawona Point to the south. Fire managers want to take advantage of the Mariposa Grove closure to conduct the project. The Grove is closed to the public because of a major restoration project, so burning at this time will minimize impacts to public use.
Burning in the Mariposa Grove is a continuous process; the targeted areas have had 1-3 prescribed fires in the past 30 years, and continued burning is required to maintain healthy forest conditions, say officials. Fire produces the optimum conditions for Giant Sequoia reproduction and propagation, not only removing the accumulated layers of dead woody debris exposing nutrient rich mineral soil, but also drying the cones allowing the seeds to shed. In addition, fire creates holes in the forest canopy which eliminates shade tolerate competition.
Park employees, community members, and visitors can expect to see fire personnel from various federal and state agencies conducting burning operations during the Mariposa Grove prescribed fire.
