Arnold, CA…Update 10:55am: Just after I sent the previous update,  the prescribed burn planned for today was called off after the test burn period. The burn unit is just too wet to ignite. Crews need to delay prescribed burning and look to possibly reschedule to next week.  Crews are conducting a 25-acre prescribed burn (Trailhead Unit) in the South Grove area today. Ignition will be dependent on weather and fuel moisture. The South Grove Area is closed. Crews also plan to conduct another 17-acre prescribed burn (Tire Tree Unit) on Saturday depending on weather and available resources.

California State Parks, with assistance from CAL FIRE, plans to conduct prescribed burns in Calaveras Big Trees State Park as soon as Monday, Oct. 13. There are three separate treatments planned covering approximately 720 acres in the South Grove area and an additional 105 acres near West Moran. All burning depends on weather and air quality conditions; if weather or vegetation conditions are not conducive for burning and smoke dispersal, the department will reschedule the treatment.

During the prescribed burning, visitors should expect park closures, including the South Grove Trail, Beaver Creek area, Bradley Grove Trail, fire road around the South Grove, and the Walter W. Smith Memorial Parkway south of the Stanislaus River. Closures may start as soon as Oct. 13. Additional closures may be in place to accommodate operations in the other prescribed burn units, particularly West Moran Road. Closures will remain in effect until conditions favor reopening. Smoke will remain in the area for some time after active firing has stopped. For a current list of all closures in the park, the public can visit: parks.ca.gov/CalaverasBigTrees.

In October 2024, crews treated 1,145 acres of the planned 1,317 prescribed burn acreage in the South Grove. The prescribed burns planned in the South Grove this year will retreat acres that did not burn well enough to reduce fuel and promote giant sequoia regeneration as well as treat additional acres in the area. All prescribed burn units have been prepared for treatment. Additionally, crews have prepared large giant sequoias by removing heavy fuels and organic matter from their base to reduce the likelihood of negative impacts from fire.

The protection and stewardship of giant sequoia groves at Calaveras Big Trees State Park has been a priority for California State Parks since the park opened to the public in 1931. Prescribed burning is part of the department’s program for vegetation management to increase the resilience of the forest and promote new giant sequoia growth. Forest management and prescribed fire help restore and maintain a complex forest community, reduce hazardous fuel loads, improve wildlife habitat, restore nutrients to the soil, protect park infrastructure and reduce the chance of catastrophic wildfire.

Communities near Calaveras Big Trees State Park, including Arnold, Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Springs, and Love Creek may experience smoke from the burning operations. Prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires. The department plans and coordinates these burns with the Tuolumne County Air District to minimize the smoke in surrounding communities.

For more information about prescribed burns at Calaveras Big Trees State Park, please visit parks.ca.gov/BigTreesPrescribedFire.

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The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, and the programs supported by its Office of Historic Preservation and divisions of Boating and Waterways and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Learn more at parks.ca.gov.