Burning Anticipated To Start Outside Groveland

Prescribed burn with fire engine

Groveland, CA — The Stanislaus National Forest is planning to ignite a prescribed burn starting today in southern Tuolumne County.

The Forest Service will attempt to burn 275 acres over the coming days. The project area is near Yosemite National Park’s Merced Grove, follows Old Yosemite Road to Pilot Peak Lookout to the west, and is approximately three miles south of Highway 120.

Approximately 50-100 acres will be burned daily. It is part of 11,911 acres that will be treated over the next five years.

The Stanislaus National Forest notes, “Prescribed burning is an effective, cost-efficient method of reducing flammable forest fuels, improving firefighting capabilities, and reducing the impacts of large, uncontrolled damaging wildland fires.”

Continuing, “Smoke may be visible from Yosemite National Park, Greeley Hill, El Portal, and Highway 120 with some down canyon drift smoke visible in the evening and early morning. Please do not report it as a wildfire.”