Tag Archives: Wildfire
The National Park Service is reporting that on July 5, 2013, a smoldering fire was discovered in the crown of a giant sequoia tree along the Congress Trail in Sequoia National Park’s Giant Forest. This fire is a hold-over from the Circle Meadow Prescribed Fire, conducted in the summer of 2012.
An unusual combination of conditions enabled this fire to smolder through the winter and re-surface as the weather became warmer and drier. The severe drought conditions of the past winter created the dry environment that allowed this fire to continue to burn undetected within the giant sequoia.
The smoldering giant sequoia continues to intermittently emit smoke along the upper portions of its trunk and from the very top of the tree. A few branches have fallen from the tree. The Congress Trail is closed between the House and Senate groups of trees until conditions are safe for visitors. Over 95 percent of the Congress Trail remains open, and visitors can still see the trees that make this trail so popular, including the House and Senate groups of trees, the President Tree and the McKinley Tree.
KSEE is reporting that the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument have already implemented early fire restrictions, starting back on May 1, 2013.
From the news report:
A very dry winter has led to high fire danger much earlier than in previous years. In response to the increasing potential for wildland fire starts, Sequoia and BLM fire officials will keep these restrictions in effect until further notice.
You can read the entire news report HERE.
The Forest Service has scheduled a 120 acre burn starting as early as April 8, 2013 near Angelus Oaks as part of the Angelus Oaks Fuel Reduction project. The burn is to take place near Forest Road 1N12 (north of Angelus Oaks), and smoke will be visible along State Route 38 (and, certainly, other part of the forest communities as well!).
From the press release:
“Doing this work under these favorable weather conditions reduces the risk of a catastrophic wildfire threatening mountain communities under typical, dryer and windy conditions common to the area in the summer and fall fire seasons,” stated Front Country District Ranger Gabe Garcia. “The understory burn is part of a larger 535 acre project initiated in 2004 and will maintain that work we have all invested in to improve the survivability of Angelus Oaks,” Garcia added.
My understanding of what an ‘understory burn’ is is that it’s a low-intensity controlled burn that can only be done within a narrow climatic window – the conditions have to be right; not too dry, not too windy, etc. Sometimes these are done by aerial ignition in other parts of the world, but locally most of these prescribed burns are set by hand using drip torches.
These prescribed burns reduce the possible fuel loads, which reduces the intensity of wildfires, and releases nutrients which enrich the forest making it healthy.
A healthy forest is a happy forest!
You can read the press release HERE.