More Burning Starting Today In Yosemite

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Yosemite, CA — Yosemite Fire crews last week burned 50 piles around the Hetch Hetchy entrance station and 10 piles around the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias.

Starting today, and continuing through the end of the week, crews will be burning more piles in the areas of Mariposa Grove, Wawona and Crane Flat.

Yosemite officials report, “Smoke may be present throughout burning operations and may linger into the following weeks as larger logs are consumed.”

Adding, “Mechanical thinning (the removal of some trees to reduce hazards and/or density in a forest) and pile burning are some of our fire management tools that help to prevent larger fires.”

The burning is also done to create defensible space around structures in the event of fires. Officials say the burning also cycles nutrients back into the soil.