Pile Burning To Begin In Various Yosemite Areas

Forest Service photo

Yosemite, CA – Smoke may be visible all next week in Yosemite National Park as Yosemite Fire and Aviation Management plans to ignite burn piles all next week.

The piles are located in the Clinic in Yosemite Valley, as well as at the Ahwahnee Hotel near the Sugar Pine Bridge area. The process is known as mechanical thinning. It is used to reduce heavy accumulations of fuel in any forested area, which can help prevent larger fires by removing “ladder fuels” that carry fire from the forest floor into the canopy of mature, overstory trees.

Additionally, crews will set a blaze several piles in the gateway communities of Foresta and south of the Wawona.

“Each year, Yosemite removes dead and downed vegetation around park communities in an effort to reduce hazardous fuels,” detailed park officials, adding, “This creates “defensible space” around structures in the event of an unwanted fire, which can help firefighters defend these buildings and communities.”

The prescribed burning will commence on Monday, February 6th, and run through Friday, February 10th, during the daylight hours. Smoke will be visible from various locations throughout the park. Currently, there are no anticipated closures associated with this pile burning. This map give the history of prescribed burning in the park.