Press release from Redwood National and State Parks:

CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — Redwood National and State Parks will conduct a series of prescribed burns this fall in six areas of the Bald Hills: DA Second Growth, Williams Ridge, Schoolhouse, Wooden Gate, Lower Dolason and South Boundary. The prescribed fires will begin in late September, as weather conditions allow.

Visitors traveling in the Bald Hills area this fall may see increased activity, fire crews and equipment on or near Bald Hills Road. Smoke may temporarily reduce visibility, and traffic control may be in place during prescribed fire operations. Visitors should slow down, follow directions from fire crews and use caution around active operations.

The prescribed fire is part of the National Park Service’s ongoing land management program to reduce hazardous fuels and wildfire risk while improving forest health and wildlife habitat. Fire has long played an important role in the Bald Hills, where Yurok, Tolowa and Chilula people used intentional fire for thousands of years to maintain prairies and oak woodlands and support important plant and wildlife resources. After regular burning declined, Douglas fir and other conifers increasingly encroached into these landscapes. Prescribed fire allows fire managers to safely reintroduce low-intensity fire under carefully selected weather and fuel conditions.

California State Parks’ North Coast Redwoods District will also support prescribed burn efforts in other portions of Redwood National and State Parks, including Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

For information on current park conditions, please visit: https://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/conditions.htm.