Calaveras, CA– California State Parks, working with CAL FIRE, plans to begin a week of prescribed burning starting today, February 2, at Calaveras Big Trees State Park to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health.
The treatment could cover up to 61 acres near Highway 4 and Moran Road. Visitors should expect temporary closures within the park, which may include a section of West Moran Road. If weather, air quality, or vegetation conditions are not suitable, the burn will be rescheduled. Nearby communities, including Arnold, Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Springs, and Love Creek, may see smoke. Officials said the burns are coordinated with the Calaveras and Tuolumne county air districts to limit smoke impacts. State Parks officials said prescribed fire is a key tool to protect and steward giant sequoia groves by reducing fuel loads, restoring forest conditions, improving wildlife habitat, and lowering the risk of catastrophic wildfire while promoting new sequoia growth.
The project is funded through Proposition 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, which supports climate resilience, deferred maintenance, and park improvements statewide.
