On Thursday, March 3, the National Park Service (NPS) will manage a prescribed fire in Zion National Park’s South Campground. Highly trained wildland firefighters from the NPS, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service will manage the fire. They will postpone the operation if conditions are not exactly right. This approximately 26 acre prescribed fire will remove exotic grasses, leaves, and other fuels to protect park visitors, adjacent landowners, and park staff.
Temporary trail closure: The Pa’rus Trail will be closed between the Zion Canyon Visitor Center and the Watchman Road Junction (near the Zion Human History Museum) when the fire is burning. The NPS may close other roads, trails, or areas if smoke reduces visibility. Some areas may smolder for a few days, but the NPS does not anticipate the fire will produce much smoke after the prescribed fire is complete.
NPS staff will monitor air quality and smoke including visibility on nearby roads. After the fire, wildland firefighters will continue to patrol the area and make sure it is completely out.
Prescribed fire: Just like getting a prescription from a doctor to treat specific symptoms, fire managers prescribe fires to treat specific landscape conditions. Prescribed fire is a tool the NPS routinely uses to manage park vegetation and reduce the amount of fuel that might be burned in a wildland fire.
Many factors must line up before the NPS decides to use prescribed fire. Our top priority is to ensure public and firefighter safety. The timing of the prescribed fire is dependent on weather conditions being within required wind, temperature, and relative humidity parameters. Wildland firefighters will use fire engines, mowed lines, and hand tools to create buffers and fire breaks to contain the fire.
For information on this project or other prescribed fires in Zion National Park call 435-772-7847.
