Arnold, CA…California State Parks, in cooperation with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), plan to conduct prescribed burning at Calaveras Big Trees State Park starting this week of Feb. 2, 2026.

Map showing segment 2 is planned for prescribed burns the week of Feb. 2, 2026. Segment 1 has not been burned yet and will do so at a later date. Map from California State Parks.

The planned treatment will cover up to 61 acres and will include areas near Highway 4 and Moran Road. Visitors should expect closures within the park during the prescribed burn, potentially including a section of West Moran Road. If weather, air quality or vegetation conditions are not conducive for burning or smoke dispersal, the department will reschedule the treatment.

Although prescribed burns produce significantly less smoke than wildfires, 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. The department plans and coordinates these burns with the Calaveras and Tuolumne County Air Districts to minimize the smoke in surrounding communities.

California State Parks is committed to the protection and stewardship of the giant sequoia groves. Prescribed burning is one of the tools used by the department for vegetation management to increase the resilience of the forest and promote new giant sequoia growth. Forest management and prescribed fires 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 a catastrophic wildfire.

This prescribed burn is funded through Proposition 4 – The Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (Prop 4).

Prop 4 funds are intended to help the state become more climate resilient by investing in deferred maintenance, sea level rise adaptation projects, and building parks and recreational facilities in local communities throughout California State Parks.

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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.